When Fabrice was brutally outed by his uncle, the young Cameroonian was immediately evicted from his rented room in the port city of Douala. "I had always managed to hide my homosexuality until the day my uncle beat me up in public," he said, after seeing Fabrice with his gay companion. "My landlady... told me to leave my room, saying she couldn't tolerate that kind of unhealthy behaviour in her home. She even threatened to evict other tenants if I didn't move."

US President Barack Obama called NBA player Jason Collins on Monday to praise his courage after he became the first star in big-time American professional team sports to come out as gay. Collins, currently a free agent who has played for six teams over 12 seasons, made the announcement in a blockbuster article in Sports Illustrated. "The President called Jason Collins to express his support and said he was impressed by his courage," said a White House aide, on condition of anonymity.

Just as Russia's parliament considers passing a controversial law seen as anti-gay, a group of young women have published the first glossy magazine in the country aimed at lesbians. The glossy quarterly Agens is aimed at women who do not want to go to gay rights rallies but want to read about successful women who are open about their sexuality, said the 24-year-old editor Milena Chernyavskaya.

A strong majority of Russians are hostile to homosexuals while only four percent say they take a positive view, a public opinion poll showed Wednesday. The poll on attitudes to gay people by Levada independent polling agency comes as Russia's parliament is considering a bill banning "propaganda of homosexuality" among minors, which critics said could be used to ban any Gay Pride events. The survey showed that 27 percent of Russians view homosexuals with "disgust or fear," while 23 said they were "irritated" and 18 percent said they were "wary".