Of all European countries, you might have thought, France would have taken gay marriage in its stride.

Judith Collins says Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy is right not to comment on Winston Peters' latest attack on the growing Chinese presence in Auckland.

A gay man was shot dead in New York City while walking with his partner in what police are calling a hate crime.

Two-thirds of Europe's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are still afraid to show their sexuality in public, and a quarter have been victims of physical or verbal attacks, a European Union report says.

The Russian Parliament is preparing to pass a bill that would outlaw "homosexual propaganda", which has prompted fears of a rise in homophobic violence, in a society that has little tolerance of gay people.

A disabled passenger says he was barred from boarding a flight after he missed check-in by three minutes when his electric wheelchair broke down.

A Northland couple are outraged and hurt at being denied accommodation at the Pilgrim Planet Lodge because of "who we are".

Kiwis are more polite about their racism than people in other parts of the world, says university lecturer Camille Nakhid.

As a conference this weekend looks at how racism affects Auckland, Susan Edmunds examines the progress we have made and the work left to do.

The pay divide between men and women has widened by another 80c an hour since the turn of the millennium.

Caregiver Kristine Bartlett believes her hourly wage of $14.46 is less than what would be paid to male employees with the same or similar skills.

Migrant groups aren't convinced New Zealand is a racist country, despite a new poll indicating overwhelmingly that it is.

Reinstating the "Pig Patrol" may be the only way of fixing discrepancies in prosecution rates between Pakeha and Maori and Pacific peoples, a former member says.

Police formed a human barricade to stop factions clashing in a white power protest today in Christchurch.

Church leaders are making a last-minute appeal to MPs to protect teachers who believe marriage should only be between opposite sexes even if Louisa Wall's gay marriage bill is passed tomorrow.

If we've learned anything from recent history, it's that people whose own sex lives are unedifying don't necessarily let that stop them damning others' proclivities.

A campaign by the YWCA in Wellington highlighted the gender pay gap by selling coffee to men for $4.40 and to women for $4. But regarding gender gaps, it's not just coffee that should concern us.

A UN body's list of concerns shows how much women are being disadvantaged in NZ, writes Debbie Hager.

The challenge for those in this discussion is to acknowledge and respect the values of others and to be courageous and generous in love, writes Russell Hoban.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the push for gay marriage in NZ, writes Douglas Pratt. Expectations of a momentous change are high.

NZ First MP Richard Prosser has shared a "lovely" meal and "humbling" evening with the young Muslim couple who wrote to the Herald to challenge his comments.

The return of a Pride Parade to Auckland has been declared a fabulous success.

This week in America, one of the contenders most likely to be the 2016 Republican presidential candidate defiantly ate a doughnut on late night television; it was a glazed and jelly-filled two-fingered salute to his critics.

Auckland Muslim Jason Kennedy penned this open letter to New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser after his controversial column about Muslims made headlines.