A gay couple in Montana has been denied Communion after a new priest at their Catholic church learned they were married last year.

Paul Huff and Tom Wojtowick have been together for more than 30 years, and a part of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Lewistown for the past 11. But when Rev. Samuel Spiering learned they had a civil ceremony in 2013, he notified Huff, 66, and  Wojtowick, 73, that they could no longer receive the sacrament of Communion or sing in the church choir.

Last month, the couple agreed to write a "restoration statement," underscoring marriage as a heterosexual institution.  "It was not our intent to challenge that [concept], but to have the rights of civic protections in our old age," Wojtowick said.

But when Spiering told them they'd also have to include a timeline for their separation and divorce, they refused.

"This is not animus against someone who happens to be homosexual; this issue is the same-sex marriage," said Bishop Michael Warfel, who plans to visit Lewistown this weekend.

A Swedish hockey team has suffered a financial hit after adopting rainbow-color uniforms in support of the LGBT community.

The club was forced to lay off staff and launch an appeal online for new backers. Consequently, a new sponsor, a building contractor, has come on board and individual donations have risen since people have heard about the controversy.

"It is us taking up a stand, that LGBT people are not going to be shoved aside, made fun of and heckled," said Kiruna IF's chairman Johan Köhler, who revealed the club has garnered more than 150 new members since revealing the colorful new costumes.

You can get an official Kiruna IF jersey ($70) or t-shirt ($20) here. 

The new law, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, means a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation can not be used as mitigating circumstances by defense counsel.

“The gay and transgender panic defenses did not appear until the late 1960s, and rely on outdated ideas that homosexuality and gender non-conformity are mental diseases," said Jordan Blair Woods of the Williams Institute, a UCLA think tank dedicated to LGBT-related issues in law. “Since then, the defense has appeared in court opinions in approximately one-third of the states.”

[caption id="attachment_165871" align="alignright" width="292"] Photo: Gordan Paunovic[/caption]

This weekend, members of Serbia's LGBT community and their allies held the first large-scale Pride event in Belgrade since 2010, when riot police faced off against neo-Nazis and members of the Serbian Orthodox Church in a violent confrontation. 

But on Sunday some 1,000 paradegoers were able to advance peacefully through deserted streets in the city center, Vice News reports, thanks to the efforts of thousands of riot police.

"This is just a start," said Pride organizer Goran Miletic. "Next year, we will have less policemen, and less every year, until we will all walk free, with no need for such security."

It's widely believed Serbian officials consented to the parade because of pressure from the European Union, which the country is eager to join.

Annie Lennox believes the word “gay” should be irrelevant.

"During a human rights movement, it’s terribly important to have labels and to have platforms that are very identifiable, but ultimately we should just be fine with everybody no matter what our sexual orientation is," The former Eurythmics singer told PrideSource. “It’s nobody’s effing business.”

Lennox's new album, Nostalgia, drops on October 21.

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