Shanghai based Chiheng Foundation has decided to launch free hotline for lesbians in China first time. The foundation has already been providing same service for gay men.

Yang Shanping from Chiheng Foundation told China Daily, "In the past, we noticed that lesbians needed extra help compared with gays. Most people don't know what kind of support lesbians need most."

The University of Toronto is offering undergraduates a program in which they can learn about sexual role-play, flogging and restraint. The Sexual Diversity Program, established eight years ago, brings an academic approach to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual issues. The professors at the university say it's a serious field of study.

Director David Rayside tells Reuters, "It's a very serious analytical exercise, and it isn't what a lot of people think it is." "A lot of the people from the university, from the president on down, think that what we're doing is important work," Rayside says. "But there's still a lot entailed at persuading more people that what we're doing is legitimate."

Despite a strong condemnation from some conservative Christians, the Oslo Natural History Museum has put on display several pieces of art that show homosexuality among animals. The exhibition entitled "Against Nature" is claimed to be the world's first on one of the most controversial subjects.

"Homosexuality has been observed for more than 1,500 animal species, and is well documented for 500 of them," Geir Soeli, the project leader of the exhibition told Reuters in an interview.

Russia's parliament on Wednesday rejected a proposal to send the celebrated U.S. singer and actress Madonna to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2008. The motion had been introduced by Alexei Mitrofanov, a member of the Duma for the ultra-nationalist LDPR party, saying the trip would be "a serious event" to organize in the same year as presidential elections in the United States and Russia.

Madonna had expressed her desire to go into space and board the ISS, during her first ever Russian concert.

A Brazilian artist is now facing hot water after toymaker Mattel threatened to sue her for organizing a photo exhibit depicting Barbie as a lesbian.

Mattel has given Karin Schwarz 24 hours to close down her exhibit at city of Curitaba, Brazil or face court action.