From staff and wire reports

Vasconcelos released without charges
MEXICO CITY—Gay actor, activist and nightclub owner Tito Vasconcelos was released from jail April 30 in Mexico City, five days after he was arrested in a bizarre episode stemming from complaints by a rival of Vasconcelos in the gay community.

Vasconcelos, who owns Cabaretito and other venues, was not charged with any crime after a judge found that police had no evidence against him.

Police had said Vasconcelos was under investigation for a rape that allegedly occurred seven years ago. But Vasconcelos denied that and said police were alleging that his clubs in the trendy and heavily gay Zona Rosa neighborhood routinely admit minors. Police tried to construe that, Vasconcelos said, into child pornography and corruption of minors charges.

Vasconcelos steadfastly denied that his clubs admit underage youths.

The charges, Vasconcelos said, grew out of complaints to police by Julio Roman, who owns a GLBT community publication in Mexico City. Vasconcelos said Roman has filed numerous complaints about him since Vasconcelos stopped advertising in Roman’s publication. Vasconcelos said his lawyers are looking into filing charges against Roman.

During his five-day stay in jail Vasconcelos’ situation attracted considerable interest in Mexico City’s GLBT community. Shortly before his release, a large number of GLBT leaders, actors, AIDS officials and others delivered a letter to Mexico City’s attorney general expressing concern about Vasconcelos.

UEFA head moves to stop homophobia at games
MADRID—The president of the Union of European Football Associations said last week that he’s ready to push for a “radical solution” to stop fans at matches from shouting racist or homophobic slogans and chants.

UEFA’s Michael Platini said in Madrid that he supports stopping games when fans of football, or soccer, as it’s known in the United States, display homophobia or racism.

“We are against any expression of racism or homophobia, so I am in favor of a radical solution,” Platini said. “Football has to maintain certain values. …Rather than subtract points at the end of the year, which is complicated, I am for the suspension of matches.”

The European Championship is being held in Austria and Switzerland June 7-24 and officials have organized a poster competition against homophobia. Posters in the competition are to be displayed at championship matches.

Two convicted in royal gay blackmail plot
LONDON—Two men were convicted in London May 2 and sentenced to five years in prison in the first plot to blackmail a member of Britain’s royal family in more than a century.

Ian Strachan, 31, and Sean McGuigan, 41, were found guilty in a complicated blackmail scheme against the royal that featured allegations involving sex and drugs. The judge ordered that the royal’s name be kept secret.

The jury agreed with prosecutors that the two men tried to blackmail the royal over a claim that he had sex with an aide at a party.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison said they demanded $99,000 from the royal—identified only as “Witness A”—for videotapes in which one of his employees made claims that “A” had performed a sex act on him at a party, egged on by a stripper.

He also suggested the royal had taken drugs.

In a statement read during the three-week trial, the royal said he was aware of the alleged claims, but that they were untrue.

“A person in ‘A’s’ position, with a reputation and business interests, is particularly susceptible to the publication of scurrilous and damaging material, whether it is true or false,” the judge said.

The two men were arrested Sept. 11 in a police sting operation at a London hotel. Both had said they were innocent.