decamhflf 21, 3001 »
ty and equal protection under the law and
impedes A ID S prevention work.
“Private, consensual adult sexual relation
falls within the intimate associations protected
from the state intrusions under Article 21 [of
the constitution), the exercise of which lies at
the core of individual autonomy and are key to
development of ones personality,” Naz said.
“There exists no compelling state interest to
justify the curtailment of such an important
element in the fundamental right to life and
liberty.
“The social effects [of the statute] drive gay
men underground, with a devastating impact
upon the AIDS prevention effort," the group
added. “Once underground, they become
extremely vulnerable to A ID S because it
becomes difficult for them to negotiate safe sexu
al behaviors. It also becomes difficult to identify
and target this population for AIDS prevention
efforts through education and medical services.”
Section 377 punishes “carnal intercourse
against the order of nature with any man,
woman or animal” with up to life in prison.
CANADA
he province of Quebec will set up a civil
unions procedure granting gay couples
every right of marriage except access to adop
tion, the government
said Dec. 7.
The plan will he
submitted to the Que
bec National Assem
bly, where it is expect
ed to pass. “We’re
aiming to erase the
discrimination that
exists in our laws and
guarantee that same-
sex couples have the same rights as others,”
provincial Justice Minister Paul Begin said.
A recent poll found 76.5 percent of Que
beckers support letting gays formalize their rela
tionships. But some activists are not pleased
with the proposal.
“This is not true equality,” Rene Leboeuf told
the Toronto Star. “The day that we have access
to marriage and divorce like other people, that
will he a true legal status."
Leboeuf and his partner, Michael Hendricks,
have sued Quebec for the right to marry under
the ordinary marriage laws. The case is ongoing.
Irene Demczuk of the Coalition for the
Recognition of Same-Sex Couples of Quebec
told the Canadian Press wire service: "If we don’t
get parenting rights, we will he hack in courts.
Parental recognition is not a minor thing.”
T
•9»
oyal Canadian Mounted Police recruits are
asked whether they are gay, the Ottawa Cit
izen revealed Dec. 3.
"This is a question that is black and white in
the security interview,” Staff Sgt. Normand
Nadeau admitted. “It’s there. It is common
knowledge to everybody that has gone through
the interview. This is a departmental policy.
“Our members have to deal with trip-secret
files on a regular basis and are made awàre of
privileged information,” Nadeau told the news
paper. “We want to make sure there is no com
promise [because of blackmail]."
Legal experts told the Citizen the question
violates the Canadian Human Rights Act,
which prohibits such inquiries during job inter
views. It also might contravene the privacy and
ffeedom-of-expression guarantees of the Canadi
an Charter of Rights and Freedoms, lawyers said.
“Certainly an individual’s sexual orienta
tion should not be of any import to an
employer one way or another,” said Catherine
Barratt, Canadian Human Rights Com m is
sion spokeswoman.
R
anada might be trying to pull a fast one on
gay couples, and they have responded with
a pair of class-action lawsuits seeking $400 mil
lion in back pensions.
When the nation extended pension benefits
to surviving gay partners last year, officials
declared only gays whose partners died after
Jan. 1, 1998, would be eligible. The lawsuits—
one covering all areas but British Columbia,
which has somewhat different laws, and one
covering British Columbia— claim the retroac
tive date should be April 17, 1985, the day
equality guarantees were enshrined in Canada’s
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"The Jan. 1, 1998, cutoff date was imposed
on same-sex couples on a purely arbitrary basis
and without any legal justification,” lawyer
Douglas Elliott told a news conference. “All
Canadians rely on the Canadian Pension Plan.
Gays retire, too.”
Co-counsel Patricia LeFebour added: “Work
ing gays and lesbians have paid into the plan all
their lives. The government does not discrimi
nate when it collects the money; it only dis
criminates in paying the benefit.”
Lead plaintiff G eorge Hislop told re
porters: “It seems the government wants to
give itself immunity for past discrimination.
Our government has effectively confiscated
our pensions.”
C
S W ED EN
O weden’s government presented a hill to
O Parliament on Nov. 28 to criminalize agita
tion against homosexuals. “This is to be effect
ed by extending the penal provision for agita
tion against a national or ethnic group to
include threats or expressions of contempt
alluding to sexual orientation,” the Ministry of
Justice said.
Serious agitation— such as “hate speech
alluding to homosexuals”— would bring a six-
month to four-year jail term. The laws should
take effect between July 1, 2002, and Jan. 1,
2003, the government said.
cW eslside' ¿fio risi
T H A IL A N D
i undreds of HIV-positive people demon
strated
!
Nov. 30 at Government House in
Bangkok, demanding the
Public Health M in
istry provide anti-HIV
drugs under the uni
versal health care
plan.
Health
Minister
Sudarat Keyuraphan
responded with a
promise to pro
vide anti-retro-
viral treatment
to 10,000 HIV
positive people
next year and
to 150,000 by c ,
v
,
2006. Generic Sudarat Kevuraphan
versions of common anti-HIV medications will
he produced cheaply by the Government Phar
maceutical Organization.
T h e International G ay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission, the Thai N et
work of People Living with HIV/AIDS and
the Thai N G O Coalition on A ID S are con
tinuing their push for prompt treatment of all
Thai A ID S sufferers by writing to the prime
minister and the health minister. About 1 mil
lion of Thailand’s 60 million residents are
believed to he HIV-positive.
H
Compiled by R ex WOCKNER, who has reported
for the gay press since 1985. He has a bachelor's
degree in journalism from Drake University and
started his career as a radio reporter.
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