Equal rights campaigners are today celebrating as Washington became the seventh state in the United States to legalise gay marriage.
Four men have received 18 year jail sentences for stabbing to death a lesbian in South Africa in 2006.
In Maryland, USA, where a same-sex marriage bill is currently being debated, a 14-year-old girl, identified as Sarah, made her plea against it.
The state of Washington looks set to become the seventh state in the United States which allows gay marriage. On Wednesday the senate passed a marriage equality bill by 28-21.
An online petition has been launched in reaction to reports that an 11 year old trans girl in Germany will be committed to a mental institution.