"Two sexual orientation and gender identity rights groups have been given consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB) are national organisations representing LGBT communities in the Netherlands and Spain." [Pink News]

"More than 5,000 athletes, gay and straight, from across Europe are converging on Barcelona for the Eurogames which get underway on Thursday in the Spanish port city, organizers said." [Independent]

Spanish Judge Laura Alabau, who has thrice refused to marry queer couples despite the country's 2005 same-sex go ahead, will soon be ordered to carry out gay marriages. Alabau claims she's simply being used as a "vehicle of propaganda." (PS: This case reminds us of British registrar Lillian Ladele, who sued for the right to opt out of gay nuptials based on religious reasons. She ended up losing.) [Euro Weekly News]

Two Spanish nationals arrested in Gambia for being gay have been set free. They faced fourteen years in jail for "violating the principles of Islam." We imagine the Spanish government had a hand in their release. [Earth Times]

The two Spanish nationals arrested for being gay in Gambia face up to fourteen years in prison. The Spanish consul has been offering their "full support" to their incarcerated citizens, whatever that means. [News 24]

"Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid said this week that gender ideology and the laws inspired by it, such as those condoning so-called gay marriage, are an expression of “man’s rebellion against his biological limits.” Too bad we're not fruit flies, huh? [CNA]

Catholic News Agency sure knows how to choose it's inflammatory words: "Pedro Zerolo, a well-known homosexual activist and the executive secretary of Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE), traveled last week to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay—where he met with president-elect and former bishop Fernando Lugo—to promote gender ideology and the legalization of gay marriage in South America." CNA entitled their article "Spanish Socialist party leader pushing homosexual agenda in South America" and featured a picture of Zerolo wearing a boa. [CNA]

Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won reelection this weekend, which clearly indicates Spaniards prefer a gay marriage approving Socialist over repressive religious conservatives. Hoorah! [Yahoo via GNW]

Spain's Deputy PM María Teresa Fernández de la Vega is not a lesbian: "It’s a rumor about me that they’ve invented to do damage, using something that - hear me - I absolutely respect. I have no homophobia. But I’m not homosexual! If I were, I would have no problem in saying so. But it’s just that I’m not!” Then how do you explain your liberated hairdo, hmmm? [SF Bay Times]

The United Nations voted this week to defer including Brazilian, Dutch and Spanish organizations in their Economic and Social Council. Said one Dutch activist: "This blatant structural discrimination against LGBT organizations shows the need for a continued battle." To be fair, however, the UN previously voted to include groups from Canada and Sweden, so maybe they just don't like those countries. [Pride Source]

Spanish presidential candidate Mariano Rajoy vowed to overturn gay adoptions if elected during next month's national election: "'In the area of adoption I'm not in agreement. I would change it, yes, I would take the right away from them (homosexual couples),' said Rajoy in an interview yesterday. Regarding the controversial "Education for Citizenship and Human Rights" program, which teaches pro-homosexual ideology to children in Spanish elementary schools, Rajoy said he would eliminate it and substitute language and technology classes. 'I think that if we are talking about teaching values or principles, that should be studied in all classes." [LifeSite]