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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1998)
19 HBÜTHTITïl news ARGENTINA Quebec Human Rights Commission and the he third National Gay, Lesbian, Canadian Human Rights Commission. QHRC ruled the complaint is a federal matter. There Transvestite, Transsexual and Bisexual Conference drew 250 delegates to Cordoba has ’s been no response yet from CHRC or Bell. Psychology University April 10 and 11. Participants came from Buenos Aires, ntario’s highest court, the Court of Appeal, Comodoro, Cordoba, Corrientes, La Plata, La rewrote a piece of the federal Income Tax Rioja, Rivadavia, Rosario, Salta, San Juan, Act April 23 to recognize same-sex couples. Tucuman, and from neighboring Uruguay and The ruling resulted from a case in which Chile. Canada’s largest union had been prevented from Attendees decided, among other things, that paying pensions to same-sex couples due to the groups named in the conference title will appear in a different order each year, with trans Revenue Canada’s heterosexually-based defini tion of spouse. Pension plans must be registered vestites getting top billing in 1999. They also with Revenue Canada to be tax-free. agreed to launch a nationwide campaign to “Differences in cohabitation and gender amend the penal code to ban discrimination preferences are a reality to be equitably based on sexual orientation. acknowledged, not an indulgence to be eco nomically penalized," Justice Rosalie Abella wrote for the court. “The only rational solution he grave of a Nazi doctor who performed is to include them.” experiments on gay men in concentration camps has been located in Argentina’s Británico John Fisher, executive director of the nation al lobby group Equality for Gays and Lesbians Cemetery. Everywhere said, “It opens the door for same-sex pension benefits, certainly, but...clearly the broader impact of the ruling is the federal gov ernment must reconsider the definition of spouse in all federal laws to ensure it doesn’t dis criminate against gays and lesbians.” Real Women of Canada and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada denounced the ruling. Revenue Canada has not decided whether to appeal to Canada’s Supreme Court. Historical records show Carl Peter Vaemet, a Dane, castrated and implanted hormones in gay uebec’s Court of Appeal struck down a pro men in attempts to alter their sexual orienta vision of Canada’s penal code that forbids tion. The experiments took place at the sodomy before age 18 but allows other sex Buchenwald and Neuengamme camps. ual practices at age 14, La Presse reported April After World War II, Vaemet escaped to South America without being tried for his 16. The court said the ban violates the national crimes. He died in 1965. Charter of Rights and Freedoms and discrimi nates against younger gay people. AUSTRALIA he Melbourne gay bar VM was gutted by an arson fire April 28. Damage is estimated at $500,000 (U.S. $326,000). Containers used to spread an accelerant were found inside the charred remains, say arson investigators. The bar was originally named Virgin Marys and had to change its name following legal action by the Catholic Church. T O T Q relationships in city hall and receive many of the benefits of marriage. The mayors fear they will be forced to per form gay ceremonies if the Social Union Contract proposal becomes law. French mayors function as the municipal registrar for births, deaths and marriages, and in smaller towns the mayor often handles such matters personally. The petition is being circulated by Felletin Mayor Michel Penton who founded the Union for French Democracy party 20 years ago. He says the mayors are “anxious to preserve the family as the natural and fundamental element of every society.” He adds, “In our sick French society, the two things that are still healthy—the family and the town council—are now being threatened.... Behind these homosexual ‘families,’ a sad paro dy of a true family, other liaisons will rush in, beginning with polygamous marriages.” I C B A FILMS ON IMAGE AND IDENTITY L. 49 COSPONSORED BY: just out NÍ '^3 • FJ • J AND z the ranssexual singer Dana International repre sented the nation at the Eurovision inter national song competition in Birmingham. England, May 9. The 26-year-old artist, who sings in both Hebrew and Arabic, has had several hit records in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East. Conservative and religious members of the Knesset were upset Dana was going to England and called for a ban on her performance there. But Dana told the New York Times she wants the world to see the real Israel. “The global media only want to show wars and soldiers,” she says, “but there is another Israel, a regular Israel, with people who eat at McDonald’s, people who do not hate anyone.” ZIMBABWE northwest film center 1219 SW P ark A ve P ortland , OR 97205 ------------------- 221-1156 ISRAEL nimals in the jungle are better than these people [gay men and lesbians] because at least they know that this is a man or a woman,” Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said April 22 at the wake of Herald newspaper owner Charles Chikerema, who died April 21. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s highest court ruled March 26 that former President Canaan Banana will go to trial for allegedly forcing himself sexu ally on several male aides. Banana, who was president from 1980 to 1987, had claimed he could not receive a fair trial because of extensive media attention, but The ruling is binding only in Quebec. A sim the court disagreed. BAHAMAS He is charged with 11 counts of sodomy, ilar ruling covers Ontario. The ban remains in n light of the recent uproar over gay and les attempted sodomy and indecent assault on bian cruise visitors, Bahamas National effect across the rest of Canada. seven aides, a cook, a gardener and a bodyguard. Security Minister and Deputy Prime Minister In other news, some local church leaders are DENMARK Frank Watson has announced the military, outraged that the upcoming World Council of openhagen ’ s world-famous Tivoli amuse prison service and police do not discriminate ment park will host gay pride events in Churches conference in Harare, the capital, will based on sexual orientation. June, including ballroom dancing and gay disco allow participation by the group Gays and Anti-gay activists have staged three rallies in evenings. the Bahamas this spring, the most recent on “Our cooperation with the management of April 13 when an Olivia Cruises ship filled with Tivoli Garden is an important turning point in 800 lesbians sailed into port. the acceptance of the gay and lesbian popula Despite the demonstrations, Prime Minister tion as an attractive group of consumers here in Hubert Ingraham supports gay tourism. In a Denmark,” says Mermaid Pride Association recent televised speech devoted solely to gay spokesman Michael Nord. issues, he said: “Homosexuality is not a conta This year’s pride celebration also marks the gious disease and it is not a crime in the 50th birthday of Landsforeningen for Bosser og Bahamas.... Whether a private sexual act Lesbiske, Denmark’s national gay and lesbian between consenting adults is homosexual or organization. heterosexual is not my business, and I do not In 1989, Denmark became the first nation to think it is your business either. We cannot, and pass a registered partnership law granting same- ought not try to, dictate or to legislate morality.” “We cry shame that it should be sanctioned sex couples nearly every right of marriage. by a body claiming to represent Christians,” says Similar laws later passed in Iceland, the CANADA Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe President Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. ell Canada has refused to list the Quebec gay help lines Gai Écoute and Gay Line Andrew Wutawunashe. “We roundly condemn such blatant perversion of the Christian faith.” FRANCE with other emergency telephone numbers at the bout 12,000 of the country’s 36,000 mayors beginning of the phone directory, reports have signed a petition opposing legislation ■ Compiled by R ex WocKNER, with contributions Montreal's Fugues. that would let same-sex couples register their frum D avid O lson and ALEJANDRA SARBAr The two services lodged complaints with the T THE BODY’S POLITICS i J ------- SATURDAY----- MAY 16 B lue -E yed 5: oo pm A PORTRAIT OF JANE ELLIOTT AND HER GROUNDBREAKING I TECHNIQUES FOR PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY i AND ENDING RACISM. T he H uman R ace 7:30 pm T his epic adventure follows eleven HIV- positive men who enter the GRUELING 2.2OO-MILE TRANSPACIFIC YACHT RACE FROM L.A. TO HAWAII. I n P erson : P roducer & C rew M ember R obert H udson P roceeds benefit P hoenix R ising F oundation and the N orthwest F ilm C enter --------------------------------- SUNDAY---- MAY 17 You D on ' t K now D ick 5;0Q pm R achel ' s D aughters : SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSES of B reast C ancer 7 i QQ pm SEVEN WOMEN---- WHO ARE FIGHTING OR HAVE SURVIVED BREAST CANCER— INTERVIEWING A SPECTRUM OF OUTSTANDING RESEARCHERS ABOUT SUSPECTED CAUSES. I n P erson : C o -D irectors A llie L ight P roceeds and P ortland C harter of the K omen B reast C ancer and the I rving S araf benefit the G reater S usan G. foundation N orthwest F ilm C enter -------------------------------WEDNESDAY MAY 20 E very B ody ' s B usiness : S hort F ilms on I mage and I dentity 7:00 pm U nder W raps 8:45 pm A n irreverant look AT THE PERSONAL, CULTURAL AND POLITICS OF MENSTRUATION. ------------------------------ T hursda y ma Y 21 B lue -E yed 7:oo pm ------------------------------------------ FRIDAY MAY 22 T he H uman R ace 7: oo pm ---------------------------------- SA TURD A Y MA Y 23 R achel ' s D aughters S earching for the causes of breast C ancer 8:00 PM
