Kylie Minogue hit the grand age of 40 this Wednesday, May 28. Celebrations kicked off last weekend with an all-night party in Athens, and continue in low-key style this week, as her KylieX2008 tour visits Germany (Aussie dates are rumoured to be announced soon, so save those pennies!).

Next on the horizon is, of course, Madonna’s half-century in August. Amazingly, both divas have the taut, wrinkle-free skin of 25-year-olds: nothing like fame and fortune to give you that young, ‘permanently surprised’ look.

Anti-gay violence rising
A recently released report has found that attacks on LGBT people in the USA have risen 24% in the past year. The report, conducted by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, also showed a 61% increase in the number of sexual assaults against LGBT people perpetrated as hate crimes. However, the news may not be all bad, as the Coalition says the rise may partly be due to an increasing willingness by LGBT people to report crimes, rather than deal with such traumas in isolation.
Details: www.365Gay.com

Family court access needed
Former Family Court chief justice Alistair Nicholson has said that Family Court protection should be widened to include de-facto and same-sex couples. In a letter to Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland obtained by Fairfax, Nicholson stated that the current laws were discriminatory. “To force same-sex couples to continue to rely on state Supreme Courts, which are often more expensive and whose personnel have less experience in family law matters, would be a continuing breach of the human rights of lesbians and gay men and their families,” he wrote.

Sex change for 12-year-old
A judge has allowed a 12-year-old Victorian girl to begin hormone treatment in the first step toward full gender reassignment surgery, the Sunday Herald Sun has reported. Despite objections from the child’s father, the Family Court deemed the girl capable of making an informed decision about the process. The girl’s mother, while deeply concerned, vowed to support her child. Full gender reassignment surgery must wait until she is at least 18, but treatment to stop the child menstruating and growing breasts has already begun.

Brazilian Pride
Millions turned out in Brazil, South America’s largest city, last Sunday for the city’s gay pride celebrations. Organisers were expecting more than three million people to attend the Sao Paolo Gay Pride Parade, one of the world’s largest. Official attendance figures have not been released, but the streets of Brazil’s financial district were packed as the parade made its way through the heart of the city.
Details: www.365Gay.com