On the Gaydar: Same-sex marriage debates, bisexual fish, Pope's world peace solution

With so much going on in the world on the streets on our iPhones these days, here's a roundup of just some of the queer-related news from around the world over this past week.

While the same-sex marriage has made strides Stateside recently (and blessed with deliciously appropriate names, no less), the issue continues to make as much progress as it continues to be divisive in Europe.

Scotland became the first part of the U.K. to draft a same-sex marriage bill. However, the Church of England and the Church in Wales has criticized the British government for not being consulted in its proposed gay marriage legislation, announced by Culture Secretary Maria Miller.

In the wake of several protests in France (which included demonstrations by topless women, much to the chagrin of many a bra manufacturer), French president François Hollande's proposal to legalize gay marriage sparked criticism from equality activists as well. The proposed legislation also would address adoption for gay couples, but only if married, not those with civil unions.

Meanwhile, an attempt to address the issue of same-sex marriage in Colombia has ignited an internet shitstorm. A Colombian gay male couple has come under fire for displaying a nativity scene of the baby scene with two Josephs, but no Mary. Andrés Vásquez and Felipe Cárdenas created the scene in their home in Cartagena, and posted a photo of it on Facebook. One Facebook user commented, "This is just stupid", presumably prompting other netizens to respond with "I know you are, but what am I?" and so on, ad infinitum, as intellectual discussions on the internet are wont to go.

But believe it or not, there's life beyond the all-encompassing world of same-sex marriage. Sort of. Well, not really.

Anyhow, it's back to the U.K.: a BBC report has revealed that lesbians and bisexuals remain almost invisible, compared to gay men, on British screens. The report states that gay men also remain underrepresented. Unfortunately, transgender people were not studied the report.

But transgender issues were in the news in the U.S. when ESPN980 announced it suspended Sports Reporters hosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin after making fun of transgender college basketball player Gabrielle Ludwig on their show. In the segment, Czaban and Pollin also ridiculed Russian women, which was presumably but probably not the catalyst for faux-lesbian pop duo t.A.T.u to reunite on Romanian TV to sing their hit song "Sisters Are Doing It With Themselves" or something else titillating to that effect.

Meanwhile, scientists have found that the male Mexican molly fish can seduce females by engaging in sexual foreplay with other males. Apparently, such bisexual behaviour doesn't necessarily apply to human interactions. However, don't let that stop you from trying it out. (Here are some guidelines on how to conduct your research.)

On a more serious and local note, two queer community organizations are facing changes and challenges. Half of Qmunity's staff has been reported to have left or been fired since Dara Parker became executive director in May. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Pride Society is reporting a $76,000 deficit. The VPS ousted its previous president and elected an interim board of directors, including president Tim Richards, back in March.

Okay, so to bring us full circle back to the neverending story otherwise known as the same-sex marriage debate, here's the Pope's 2013 solution for world peace: discriminate against the gays. That should certainly stop North Korea from launching any further missiles.