Prince Harry Kisses Gay Man for a Beer

UK tab News of the World reports that Rocky Bennett, a gay 21-year-old, approached Prince Harry at a nightclub earlier this week, and offered him a kiss for a beer.

Said Bennett:: "I went up to him and told him I would love to buy him a drink - if he gave me a kiss...Harry just burst out laughing, threw his arms around me and kissed me on the left cheek. I'm not going to wash my face for a month now! It was the best moment of my life. I just burst into tears, he's so down to earth. It was so crazy to see Harry out in Stevenage. It's not exactly the most exotic place. He went upstairs to the VIP lounge at first but then came down to the main bar. He was with about eight other guys and security was tight but when I went over to him he was lovely. I told him how much I had admired his mother Princess Diana and how I thought she would be proud of him. He seemed very merry but he was still willing to talk to people. So I went to the bar to buy him a drink and got my kiss."

Should have offered him a six pack.

Straight UK Couple Wants Gay Civil Partnership as Protest

A heterosexual UK couple have given only their initials to the council registrars at Islington Town Hall in hopes that they'll be able to enter into a civil parttnership, the Daily Mail reports:

"Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, both 25, are determined to become the first straight couple to wed in a civil partnership. The pair last night branded marriage 'an apartheid' that segregates straight and gay people. The civil servants, who live in Holloway, north London, and have been together nearly four years, said they want the same legal rights as a husband and wife. But they do not want to enter an institution that is closed to homosexuals. So, in the interests of equality, they are demanding that they be allowed to enter a civil partnership. Mr Freeman said: 'Ideally we'd have the option of a civil partnership or a marriage, regardless of whether we were straight or gay. 'Effectively marriage and civil partnerships are exactly the same - it's a duplicate law. The effects and legal processes are identical. The rights and obligations are identical.' He added: 'Civil partnerships are equality in all but name - so why not just have equality?"

UK activist Peter Tatchell is on board: "The ban on heterosexual civil partnerships is heterophobic. It is discriminatory and offensive. I want to see it ended so that straight couples like Tom and Katherine can have the option of a civil partnership. I applaud their challenge to this unjust law."

Thousands Cram Liverpool Street for Vigil Against Anti-Gay Hate

Following a massive vigil held in London's Trafalgar Square on Friday night, thousands turned out on Sunday for another vigil in Liverpool in honor of James Parkes, a police trainee who was attacked by a gang of up to 20 youths after leaving a bar last week.

Parkes was discharged from the hospital on Friday and is recovering at home, the BBC reports.

Said Parkes' partner Tom Downey at the vigil: "We have been amazed at the amount of support and best wishes that Jay and our families have received. We are pleased to see people are as outraged by this attack as we are."

Watch some amazing scenes and speeches from the vigil and an interview with Downey (below), AFTER THE JUMP...

UK Anti-Hate Vigils: Tonight in London, Sunday in Liverpool

Thousands are expected in Trafalgar Square in London tonight for a vigil against anti-LGBT hate crimes.

The BBC reports: "Homophobic attack victims Ian Baynham, who died earlier this month, and James Parkes, who was injured in Liverpool on Sunday, will be among those honoured. Speeches will be made before the two-minutes silence 2100 GMT. Organiser Mark Healey said: "If we forget about these victims we could become complacent and fail to learn from the past." Mr Baynham, 62, from Beckenham, south-east London, died from brain damage two weeks after being attacked in Trafalgar Square on 25 September. On Sunday night trainee police officer Mr Parkes, 22, was attacked by up to 20 people outside a gay bar in Liverpool's Stanley Street. He remains in hospital with multiple skull fractures. Last week Metropolitan Police figures showed that 1,192 homophobic offences were reported in London in the year to September, up from 1,008 the previous year - a rise of 18.3%."

A vigil is also scheduled for Sunday night at 8pm in Liverpool.

Gay Man Fights for Life After Attack by Gang of 13 in Liverpool, UK

UPDATED

A gay man is fighting for his life in a hospital in Liverpool following a vicious gang attack police are treating as a homophobic hate crime:

"The 22-year–old was attacked by up to 13 people at 10pm last night when out with three friends on Stanley Street. He is currently in hospital with multiple skull fractures, a fractured eye socket and a fractured cheek bone...Stanley Street will remained closed until police forensics have completed their investigations. A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: 'We were called to reports of a serious assault on Stanley Street at 10pm last night. The victim was taken to hospital with serious head injuries. He has suffered multiple fractures to his skull, a fractured cheek bone and a fractured eye socket. We are treating the incident as a homophobic attack. We believe from witnesses there may have been up to 13 people involved in the attack aged 15–18.'"

The BBC reports that three have been arrested: "Three male youths, two aged 15 and one aged 14, from the Kirkdale area, have been arrested on suspicion of assault."

UPDATE: The victim has been identified as James Parkes, a trainee constable with Merseyside police.

Morrissey Rushed to Hospital After Collapsing on Stage in UK

UPDATED

Morrissey collapsed on stage during a gig this evening at the Oasis in Swindon, UK:

"Morrissey, wearing a dark open-necked shirt, had appeared on stage at around 9pm looking drawn. He said to the 1,000-strong audience: 'Good evening... probably,' before launching into The Smiths' 1983 hit This Charming Man. He appeared to be straining to perform the song, wincing as he did so. Just as he came to the end of the song his knees buckled and he slumped to the stage. Two band members rushed to his side and dragged him off stage, he was immediately followed by his backing band and singers. The stage lights went up, to cat calls and whistles from the audience. After ten minutes of silence a stage hand came to the microphone at the centre of the stage. 'We will keep you informed what's happening,' he said. It was another 25 minutes before a second black-clad stage hand came to the same microphone. 'Morrissey has left the building,' he said."

The former Smiths frontman was rushed to Great Western Hospital and is said to be in stable condition. More details as they come in...

Additional photos here.

UPDATE: "A spokesman for the Great Western Ambulance Service said: 'Just after 9pm we got a call to a 50-year-old man who was reported to be reported to be suffering from respiratory problems and was unconscious. We sent a paramedic in a doubled-crewed ambulance. When they arrived they found a conscious patient who was not feeling well at all. They made an initial assessment and took him to the Great Western Hospital for further assessment.' A spokesman for the hospital said: 'Morrissey has been admitted to the Great Western Hospital. He is being reviewed by the medical staff and his condition is stable.'"

UPDATE II: Morrissey discharged from hospital.