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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1999)
17.1999 20 (Umrinews --------------- ——---------------------------------------- ................. • ■ ■ ■ ■ p .'F ..y I — H igh P riestess PIERCING inc . 20th Century American« • Custom & Vintage Neon | • Q ueer P lanet Across the globe, 1999 was lively for queer folk by Rex Wockner SHOWER THEM WITH GIFTS FALL / WINTER HOURS Open Saturdays 11-5 thru Nov. 20 Open Thanksgiving Weekend: Fri, Sat, Sun «11-5 Open Fridays & Saturdays, Dec. 3 thru 18 • 11 - 5 Xmas Shopping Days: Dec. 20 thru 24 • 11 - 5 Open New Year's Day & then closed til Feb. 5 f I THE PLACE TO GET HOLY ABOUT GETTING HOLEY! 1211 NW 17th • 503.223.0767 BASKETS Starting at $15.95 YEARS EQCENTIAL lotions & oils 710 NW 23rd Avenue • 248-9748 • 3638 SE Hawthorne • 236-7976 From the #1 Brand in Health Clubs. Bikes Recumbents Climbers Treadmills Come in today for a free test drive Four Fitness Experts O c meni 1 r NORTHWEST Portland Delta Park 286-1292 a 644-0615 * Beaverton Town Square Clackamas Ross Center 659-4055 1-800-659-0421 ay men and lesbians are on a roll across the globe, aided in no small part by the growth of the Internet. In 1999, small groups of lesbian and gay activists in the most isolated and poorest of nations knew what was happening worldwide and used this informa tion to organize and fight locally. The Internet comes to the rescue when gay and lesbian movements in even the most off-the-beaten-path countries face a sudden emergency and need international aid. Cyberspace is also crucial for activists in developed nations who want to follow each other’s advances and set backs. This gay information explosion, this queer superhighway, is at the heart of the increasingly inter nationalized gay and lesbian movement. Now, more than ever, it’s possible to say, “They did this in Holland four years ago and the sky didn’t fall,” and to back up assertions with facts and figures. The value of this kind of ammunition should not be underestimated. Here, then, are the high lights of 1999 across the gay globe. O pen C losets J urisprudence rench tennis pro Amelie Mauresmo came out after beating top-rated Lindsay Daven port at the Australian Open. The chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Conservative Tom Spencer, was outed when British customs agents found gay erotica in his luggage as he returned from visiting his U.S.-born pom star boyfriend, Cole Tucker. Former British Defense Secretary Michael Portillo acknowledged he had gay relationships in college. ive nations now ban discrimination based on sexual orientation via their constitutions: Canada, Ecuador, Fiji, South Africa and Switzerland. Chile repealed its ban on sex between people of the same gender. Sweden banned employment discrimina tion based on sexual orientation. A ruling made by Britain’s House of Lords opened the door for foreign gay men and les bians seeking asylum from persecution based on sexual identity. F The Internet comes to the rescue when gay and lesbian movements in even the most off-the-beaten-path countries face a sudden emergency and need international aid. Cyberspace is also crucial for activists in developed nations who want to follow each other's advances and setbacks. British MP Ron Davies said he is bisexual. Teen heartthrob singer Stephen Gately of the Irish band Boyzone said he is gay. British Broadcasting Corp, television anchorman John Nicolson came out. Robin Hood was outed by British scholars. Australia’s new ambassador to Denmark, Stephen Brady, presented his lover, Peter Ste vens, to Danish Queen Margrethe. Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby came out. Gay Australian Sen. Brian Greig used his maiden speech in the Senate to call for gay and lesbian equality. Openly gay John Hyde was elected mayor of the Perth, Australia, inner-city municipality of Vincent. Open transsexual Leigh Varis-Beswick was elected to the town council of Kalgoorlie- Boulder, West Australia. A member of the Canadian province of Manitoba’s legislature, New Democrat Jim Ton- deau, said he’s gay. Gay Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury became an activist for gay and les bian immigration rights. The deputy mayor of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Janet Mabley, acknowledged she is gay. Spanish Socialist MP Miguel Iceta came out. Dutch national television news reported that the king of Morocco, Sidi Moulay Mohammed, is gay. The world’s first transsexual member of Par liament, Georgina Beyer, was elected in New Zealand. British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said he would lift the ban on gay people in the military after the European Court of Human Rights ruled the prohibition was ille gal. Colombia’s Constitutional Court unani mously ruled that the armed forces cannot bar gays. In Canada, the province of Alberta approved adoption by gay men and lesbians. The Mexico City Legislative Assembly banned discrimination based on sexual ori entation. P artnership rance enacted a registered partnership law that gives same-sex couples nearly every right of matrimony. There are similar laws in effect in Denmark, Iceland, Nether lands, Norway and Sweden. The Legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario amended 67 laws to give same-sex couples every right accorded common law opposite-sex couples. The National Assembly of Quebec gave same-sex couples the same rights as com mon-law heterosexual couples. The Australian state of New South Wales gave gay and lesbian couples spousal rights in matters of property, inheritance, alimony and medical decisions. Namibia’s high court ruled that same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples.
