* September 2U 2001
Vi*
•l news
MiZn
M & M BALLOON CO.
Creative
Balloon
Imagery.
Drag queens celebrate Gay Pride on Aug. 26 in Tokyo’s Toyogi Park
JAPAN
bout 4,000 people gathered in Tokyo’s
£ V Toyogi Park Aug. 26 for a Gay Pride
parade, the largest such event in the n a tio n ’s
history.
Organizers said they hoped to improve the
image of gay, lesbian, hi and trans people in
Japanese society. A n outdoor party preceded the
march, according to Ananova.com.
Let M&M Balloon Co. help make
your event everything you imagine.
www.propshop.cor» ♦ 503.283.2180
Who can you turn to
in times like these?
There is no question the markets are more volatile these days.
That’s why more people are turning to independent advisors to help
them achieve their financial goals. They want a financial planning
professional who is on their side with the freedom
■**:— ' — ------ -— ” —— ------- t0 recommend
www.griffonfinancial.com strategies and
—___ ________________________investments
best suited to their individual needs, without any
pressure or incentives to sell proprietary
products.
Our mission is to provide excellence in
financial and retirement management to
help people achieve their dreams.
G r if f o n
F in a n c ia l
G r o u p . LLC
-------------
Financial and Estate Planning Services
Antoinette’s Direct Line: 503.528.2800
ToU Free: 888.434.5552 • 503.203.8585
5440 SW Westgate Drive, Suite 110 Portland, OR 97221
Securities and financial planning offered exclusively through
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member NASD/SIPC
UNITED KINGDOM
ay couples in London began registering
J their relationships Sept. 5 under Mayor
Ken Livingstone’s gay partnership procedure. Ian
Burford, 68, and Alexander Canned, 62, who
have been together for 38 years, were first in line
for the 10-minute ceremony at the Westminster
headquarters of the Greater London Authority.
“We have shared everything in life and own
our home, but the problem arises when one goes
before the other” in death, the two men said in
a statement. “We would not have the same
rights as a married couple and would be taxed
heavily, seriously affecting the security of the
surviving partner.”
Second up were Linda Wilkson, 49, and Carol
Budd, 48. “This is not a wedding," they said. “We
are not doing this to ape heterosexual marriage.
We are doing this because we believe it is another
nail in the coffin of the prejudice that denies us our
fundamental rights as human beings and makes us
second-class citizeas in our own country.”
Registration confers no actual rights, but Liv
ingstone has said he hopes it will be helpful
nonetheless in resolving disputes over property,
wills and succession rights. “Although our register
is only a small step on the road to equality, I would
like it to act as a trigger for real change,” he said.
The ceremonies are offered Wednesdays and
Saturdays and cost about $123. Up to 25 guests
are permitted.
Shortly after the London registry became
available, Manchester announced it will launch
its own registry before Christmas.
he Wales Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum
was launched Aug. 30 to advise the N a
tional Assembly.
Edwina Hart, minister for finance, local gov
ernment and communities, com
mitted $38,000 of the legislative
body’s money to the project.
“T he opportunity to have a
meaningful communication pro
cess between the communities
and the National Assembly is
essential if the assembly is to
carry out its obligation of meet
ing the needs and listening to the
aspirations of all the citizens of
Wales,” she said.
Edwina Hart
INTERNATIONAL
he European Parliament and the European
Commission on Sept. 5 again told Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Hungary and Romania to repeal anti-gay
laws if they want to join the European Union.
The Parliament, in resolutions on the countries’
membership applications, insisted they “eliminate
provisions in the penal code that discriminate
against homosexual men and lesbian women.”
Addressing the Parliament, EU Enlargement
Commissioner G uenther Verheugcn added: “1
want to make it crystal clear that the commis
sion will continue to press in the enlargement
negotiations for full observance of human rights
and the rights of minorities. This includes a ban
on any discrimination based on age, gender, sex
ual orientation or religious conviction.”
The nations have unequal age-of-consent
laws, a violation of the European C onvention on
Human Rights, as well as other statutes that dis
criminate based on sexual orientation. “The
united front shown by the European Parliament
and the commission should leave the govern
ments and parliaments of Bulgaria, Cyprus, H un
gary and Romania in no doubt that this issue will
not just be swept under the carpet in the acces
sion negotiations,” said Tatjana Greif of the
International Lesbian and Gay Association.
I
t was like a gay U nited Nations.
About 100 leaders from 40 countries con
verged on Oakland, Calif., from Aug. 27 to
Sept. 2 for the 21st world conference of the Inter
national Lesbian and Gay Association. Delegates
came from Argentina, Australia, Chile, China,
Costa Rica, Estonia, Ecuador, Guatemala, India,
Jamaica, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal,
New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Roma
nia, Russia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbab
we— as well as from several Western European
nations, Canada and the United States.
“ILGA used to be very Eurocentric,” Secretary
General Kursad Kahramanoglu said. “There are as
many non-Europeans as Europeans here this year."
ILGA conferences draw “the cream of the
crop” of activists, said delegate Cynthia Roth
schild, Amnesty International USA board mem
ber. “I come away with heightened sensitivity
toward struggles beyond my own in this
nation, beyond my chosen organizations.”
W hich is not to say the association has
not always been disorganized, poor and rife
with political disagreement.
“ILGA is so anarchic and chaotic,” said
Ashok Row Kavi, India’s most well-known
and outspoken gay activist. “The Europeans
are too wary of handing too much power to
the Latin Americans and the Asians. In
Continued on Page 25