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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1998)
17 i'i'iu Hjunews A R G EN TIN A ccording to the Agence France-Presse news service, a court in the Mendoza province, 600 miles west of Buenos Aires, has recognized the marriage of two men. T he late-October AFP report says Judge Graciela Mastracusa granted the couple, a 35- year-old public employee and a 25-year-old machine operator, all benefits accorded to het erosexual legal spouses upon concluding the couple had an “evident, stable and permanent” life together. A T he couple’s lawyer, Sergio Breitman, told reporters: “T he important aspect of the ruling is recognition of a social phenomenon that is understood the world over— that there are many gay couples.” CANADA n Oct. 28, Glen Murray, 41, an openly gay city councilor, was elected mayor of W in nipeg, Manitoba. He received 50.5 percent of the vote. His nearest opponent, grocer Peter Kaufmann, nabbed 45 percent. Murray’s sexuality did not become a cam paign issue, although fundamentalist preachers and talk-radio hosts railed against it. “It was a history-making night,” Murray said as the results became final. “W e’re a city of such diversity, of so many cultures. W e’re a city of great tolerance, of hope, and I just think all of those values were reaffirmed tonight.” O COSTA RICA nti-gay activists blocked an Atlantis Events gay tour bus O ct. 24 at Costa Rica’s Blue Bay Village Papagayo resort in the Gua nacaste province on the Pacific coast. T he 300 tourists, mostly from the United States, say the only road to the airport was blockaded with tires and wood by followers of a local politician and priest who want the govern ment to ban gay-related tourism. T he protest ended when national police in riot gear charged the demonstrators and cleared the road. The pandemonium delayed the tour group’s departure by almost a full day. A Why pay retail? “Those who are incapable of taking care of their needs should die of hunger because they are useless,” Lifshitz said. “WTiy should I help those who are incapable of raising their children yet continue to procreate F He added, “Homosexuals disgust me because they.. .cannot have children.” Gay and lesbian groups responded with pick ets and demonstrations. M ALAYSIA new organization called the People’s Vol untary Anti-Hom osexual Movement hopes to “wipe out” gay men and lesbians, local newspapers reported in late October. T he group is calling for severe penalties against gay sex and for the closure of gay night clubs. T he organization was quickly denounced by the human rights group Suaram and by Marina Mahathir, daughter of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. According to media accounts, the anti-gay group was formed by supporters of the prime minister, who recently fired Deputy Prime M in ister Anwar Ibrahim and oversaw his arrest for corruption and homosexual sodomy. Anwar has denied the charges and says he was framed by the prime minister. Anwar’s firing and arrest led to weeks of rioting by his supporters. In a press release, Suaram said the People’s Voluntary Anti-Hom osexual M ovem ent’s attempt to “incite discrimination and condem nation of a minority group is a misguided form of political support for the prime minister.” A NETHERLANDS D uring the first six months of 1998, 1,814 same-sex couples registered under a part nership law that took effect in January. T he statute grants same-sex couples every right of matrimony, including the right to adopt children. The Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics said 1,045 of the couples were male and 769 were female. Wholesale Health comes to Portland! S.R.P. 7Q nn » ^ *wv CREATINE, KILO O U R P R IC E 39.00 U.S. made, pharmaceutical grade •ic nn » U <w U 9.00 or 2/17.00 on nn 18.00 or 2/35.00 v on . n n V v 24.00 M S M , 1000 mg, 120 caps 2A00 12.00 Pycnogenol, on nn 23.00 4&00 12.00 GINGKO-BILOBA, 60 mg, 60 caps Standardized extract CoQ10, OSMO 60 mg, 60 caps Androstene, 60 mg, Standardized extract Jarrow NAC, too mg, 90 caps so caps 600 mg, 100 caps You can’t beat our Quality, Prices or Service. Call for our complete list of 75 products. Free UPS delivery direct to your door on orders of $100 or more. Portland 236-4263 mmmmmmm out of area call toll free 888-666-6743 M oneyc0hredce^ NEW ZEALAND T he nation’s navy frigates will soon sport pink triangles to let gay people know they are welcome in the military, Navy Today report ed in October. The symbols will be distributed by the navy’s equal-employment opportunities coordinator as part of an anti-discrimination drive. IN TER N A TIO N A L ne hundred delegates from 26 countries turned out for the International Lesbian and Gay Association’s 20th European regional conference O ct. 22 to 25 in Linz, Austria. They discussed plans for increased lobbying of the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Conference on Security and Coopera tion in Europe. An “action plan” was developed to push for sexual orientation protections in Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is being rewritten. T h e group also announced plans to screen candidates for secre tary-general of the Council of Europe. ILGA is a federation of 400 gay and lesbian groups from 75 countries, including— as of this year’s confab— Albania. Next year’s European regional gathering will be in Viareggio, Italy, and ILGA’s 1999 world conference will be in South Africa. O ISRAEL ell-known Israeli painter Uri Lifshitz, 62, told the Haaretz newspaper O ct. 16 that gay men and lesbians should be eliminated along with other “useless” people. W Lt. Cmdr. Washer said he hopes to encour age “a climate where those who choose to declare their sexual orientation can do so with out risking retaliation.” He added, “The Royal New Zealand Navy is an organization that will not allow homophobia in the workplace.” SPAIN he registered partnership law in the C at alonia region took effect Oct. 23. It grants cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex couples many of the rights of matrimony but withholds adoption rights for same-sex couples. Included spousal rights are in the areas of inheritance, alimony, next of kin, apartment leases and work leave. Couples must file a notarized document attesting to the nature of their relationship to access the new rights. T ■ C om piled by R ex WOCKNER Photography Linda K lie w e r a Bias 503-287-3256 i Out and Out Productions ■ ■