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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 1999)
June 4 . 1999 • |m t out. 21 nîTîTïïïl news A U S T R A L IA ustralians elected their first transsexual politician in early May. Leigh Varis-Beswick, 49, won a seat on the town council of the rugged West Australian mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the Aus tralian Associated Press reports. Varis-Beswick works as a brothel madam and is a former stripper and drag queen. She had sex- reassignment surgery in 1986. “1 don’t have any skeletons in my closet, they’re all out,” she told AAP. A ❖ he state of Western Australia has its first openly gay mayor. John Hyde nabbed 70 percent of the vote to win the mayorship of Vincent, a Perth inner- city municipality. T C A M B O D IA C ambodia has its first gay bar, reports Lon don’s Gay Times. The Tamarind, located behind the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, was opened earlier this year by gay businessman Vichar Than Khieu. According to the publication, the launch party was attended by most of the contestants from Cambodia’s first bodybuilding competi tion, some government officials and several high-ranking employees of international aid organizations. The magazine says Cambodia ‘‘is unbur dened by the Western gay/straight separation.... Not getting married to someone of the opposite sex is considered bizarre, but homoerotic behav iour is totally acceptable.” In approving the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, legislators replaced the word spouse with stepparent in the Child Welfare Act— thereby sidestepping the opposite-sex def inition of spouse. Adoption decisions will now be made solely on the basis of what is best for the child. The local Concerned Christian Coalition is not pleased. “It’s a huge, huge issue and the fact they’re pushing it through in one day suggests they’re trying to sweep it under the rug,” spokesman Andrew Neufeld told the Calgary Sun. “The debate has been held behind closed doors.” A bill introduced in the Quebec National Assembly May 6 seeks to grant same-sex couples the benefits, rights and obligations of common-law spouses. Justice Minister Linda Goupil, who authored the measure, says it deletes gender references from 28 laws and 11 regulations in areas such as inheritance, family law, hospital ization, taxes, auto insurance, pensions, workers compensa tion, student aid and legal aid. The bill is expected to pass. “The recognition of same-sex couples is the object of a vast consensus, and reflects the social values currently accepted by a large majority of the population,” Goupil says. “Quebecers will no doubt be proud of being part of a society which once again demonstrates its openness, its solidarity and its respect of minorities.” FR AN CE O n May 11, the French Senate rejected a bill that would have granted unmarried part ners many of the rights and obligations of matri mony. The National Assembly had passed the mea sure April 7 by a vote of 300-253. CANADA egislation allowing adoption by gay and les bian couples was introduced in and passed by the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of Alberta May 13. L etropolitan Life insurance company is running a provocative ad in the South African glossy gay magazine OUTright. M IN TE R N A TIO N A L T he 19th International Lesbian and Gay Association World Conference is sched uled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Sept. 19 to 25. According to organizers, the confab, titled Building Partnerships for Equality, is the “first step in setting up a regional structure in Africa and is a significant step in showing support for LBGT organizations in Africa." I LG A is a federation of some 400 gay and lesbian groups from more than 80 nations. For further information, including scholar ship forms, contact Carrie Shelver of the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equali ty by e-mailing to ilga@ncgle.org.za. *$ * T he International Lesbian and Gay Youth Organisation will stage its 15th annual conference July 28 to Aug. 3 in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s theme is gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth and education. The ad shows two men, who could pass as accountants, standing and holding notebooks. One man is looking at the other’s notebook, which the latter is holding near his crotch. The photo caption reads: “ ‘Nice endowment,’ said Steve, admiring Sco tt’s impressive pack- »» age. "Education plays a great role in creating and maintaining certain norms and rules in society,” organizers say. “Unfortunately, queer issues have always been a taboo in the regular school sys tems. Our youth groups can help repair the ‘damage’ caused by this taboo, but at the same time we should start discussing how we change this attitude in the school system.” For more information, send an e-mail to iglyo@wxs.nl. G ER M AN Y - 2 - fficials in Hamburg launched a registry for same-sex couples May 6. Only residents of the city may register. Rights are granted in the areas of hospital visita tion, public accommodations and housing. The federal government has promised to introduce a national registered partnership law by the end of the year to grant same-sex couples some of the rights and privileges of matrimony. A recent Forsa Institute survey found that Germans are divided on the topic of same-sex marriage. O f 1,004 people questioned, 46 per n May 4, European Parliament officials canceled an exhibit of Swedish photogra pher Elisabeth Ohlson’s controversial show Ecce Homo, which, among other images, depicts Jesus and the apostles in drag and shows a nude Jesus being baptized. Euro MP Pertti Paasio of Finland arranged the showing but then agonized about his deci sion and finally determined the photos would shock or insult some MPs, Swedish media reported. The parliament is in Strasbourg, France. O SOUTH AFRICA cent said they opposed the concept, while 45 percent said it was OK. O UNITED KINGDOM T he British Museum has paid $2.9 million for a 1,900-year-old silver Roman drink ing goblet decorated with gay sex scenes, the Daily Telegraph reports. The director of the museum’s Greek and Roman department, Dyfri Williams, says the 5-inch-tall cup is the only known object of its kind. Similar sex scenes have been found on Roman glass and pottery but not on silver- work. Two pairs of lovers are depicted: a bearded man making love to a prepubescent youth as another youth peers around a door, and two boys having sex. “They {the Romans] were clearly very interested in sex in a wide, uncomplicated manner but they had no term for homosexu als,” Williams says. "They had different sexual hang-ups from us.” ■ Compiled by R ex WOCKNER W e’ll help you break old habits. Even if your migration plans are in the fledgling stage, our realtors and licensed tax consultant provide the facts you need to understand the home buying o r selling process. 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