IMMiUiinews
its responsibilities when gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender persons are involved or at risk,” the
group said. “None of those cases has been
solved, or even seriously investigated, by the
police.”
For information on where to send protest let
ters, e-mail iglhrc@iglhrc.org.
UNITED KINGDOM
British Defense Ministry study has found
that integrating open gays into the military
has caused no problems. T he confidential report
was obtained Nov. 19 by the Observer.
“The services reported that the revised poli
cy on homosexuality had no discernible impact,
either positive or negative, on recruitment,” the
study says. “There is widespread acceptance of
the new policy. It has not been an issue of great
debate. In fact, there has been a marked lack of
reaction. Generally there has been a mature,
pragmatic approach which allowed the policy to
succeed. The change in policy has been hailed
as a solid achievement.”
The ban was struck down by the European
Court of Human Rights in late 1999. The
O bserver commented, “T he startling conclusion
will cause serious embarrassment to service
chiefs, who fought to retain the ban, and to the
Conservative Party, which has pledged to con
sider its réintroduction.”
A
New Penal Code Article 170 will imprison
for up to three years persons who “jeer, disdain,
instigate to hatred or initiate discrimination
towards a population group or its member
because of their sex, sexual orientation, race,
nationality, language, origin, social status, reli
gion, beliefs or opinions.”
The new laws mark the first time "sexual ori
entation” has been mentioned in Lithuanian
law. The protections were added to a later draft
of the new penal code after lobbying by the
Lithuanian Gay League and pressure from the
media.
ÏÏÏ77Î
W here the S ubarus are !
2000 Legacy GT Sedan
NEW ZEALAND
ew Zealand’s Parliament voted Nov. 22 to
give gay couples the same spousal property
rights as married and common-law straight cou
ples. According to the New Zealand Press Asso
ciation wire service, the legislation significantly
rewrites the Matrimonial Property Act, extend
ing its provisions to include same-sex and de
facto couples and giving the courts greater dis
cretion in how they divide property between
partners in a relationship split.
Opposition
members
of
Parliament
denounced the legislation, saying it will force
people into a legal relationship against their
will. The law will apply to any two people who
live together as a couple for at least three years.
N
MEXICO
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2001 Forester ‘S’ Premium Package
VATICAN
M
exico City has a new gay monthly maga
zine, Q 'Eros.
It is published by Azul Editores, which also
owns the popular Boys & Toys, and edited by
Francisco Javier Lagunes Gaitan, director of the
gay group Human Action for the Community.
A total of 20,(XX) copies are printed.
The magazine costs about $1.05. A typical
Mexican salary is about $20 a day.
#15173
polling institute report published Nov. 17
indicates 90 percent of Romanians do not
want gays as neighbors. The same percentage
rejects alcoholics and convicted criminals.
About 75 percent don’t want to live next
door to Gypsies (who, in general, prefer to be
called “Rom a”) or people who carry HIV.
One-third don’t want to be around Jews or
Hungarians.
A
INDIA
une, India’s Organized Lesbian Alliance for
Visibility and Acceptance, celebrated its
first birthday Nov. 21 with a “Come Out, W her
ever You Are” party.
More than 100 women attended. “Olava”
translates as “moist” in the local Marathi language.
“Olava suggests the warmth and tenderness
two women are capable of sharing in a relation
ship,” spokeswoman Chatura told Express
India.com. “We opted for Marathi since we want
our group to reach out to every section of society
and not just the urban elite middle class."
P
LITHUANIA
ithuania’s Parliament banned anti-gay dis
crimination in October, but the measure
won’t take effect for more than a year, the Web
site Gay.lt reported.
New Penal Code Article 169 states: “A per
son who undertook acts which were aimed to
prevent a population group or its member from
participating equally in political, economic,
social, cultural, work or other activities or to
restrict such rights or freedoms of a population
group or its member because of their sex, sexu
al orientation, race, nationality, language, ori
gin, social status, religion, beliefs or opinions
shall be punished by public works or fine or
freedom restriction or arrest or imprisonment
up to three years.”
L
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T
he Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Fam
ily issued a paper Nov. 21 calling gay rela
tionships “a deplorable distortion of what should
be a communion of love and life between a man
and a woman in a reciprocal gift open to life.”
Roman Catholic doctrine maintains that
every human sexual act must be open to the pos
sibility of procreation. For this reason, the
church denounces as sinful oral sex, masturba
tion, birth control and gay sex.
The 76-page document, Family, Marriage and
"De Facto" Unions, also claims laws recognizing
gay relationships are a “much more grave” error
than laws allowing registered domestic partner
ships for unmarried straight people.
“This is a mean and cruel stand because it is
aimed at excluding homosexuals and homosex
ual couples from their juridical rights," longtime
Italian gay leader Franco Grillini said. “It is in
this way that homosexuals are not guaranteed
the right to welfare for their partner, access to
public housing or rights of inheritance.”
CYPRUS
he Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox
Church determined last month that allega
tions that Cyprus’ Bishop Athanassios of Limas
sol had seduced a young monk were untrue. His
supporters claimed the charges were invented by
his enemies to derail his likely succession to the
archbishop’s chair. j n
T
Compiled by R ex WOCKNER, who has report
ed for the gay press since 1985. He has a bache -
lor’s degree m journalism from Drake University
and started his career as a radio reporter.
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