nTTïïïïfTlnews
politan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens,
urged ^ay men and lesbians to become officers.
“One way of reducing anti-gay bate crime is
to contribute as a member of the MPS staff,” he
said. “I would encourage and positively welcome
you to come and see if this is a career for you.
“We recognize that crimes against gay people
are often not reported to police and that histor
ically the gay community may not have felt con
fidence in us," Stevens said. "We’re committed
to changing this."
The parade began at Victoria embankment in
central London and passed the House of Com
mons, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square.
CANADA
ay activists kissed July 22 in front of Alberta
Premier Ralph Klein in Edmonton to protest
his opposition to same-sex
marriage. He has said he
will do everything he can to
ensure no queer weddings
take place in the province.
The
12
protesters
struck at the Klondike
Days pancake-and-sausage
breakfast
outside
the
provincial Legislature just Ralph Klein
as Klein began addressing
the 6,000 diners. The activists rushed the stage
and started making out.
The siTKXKhing and fondling continued
throughout Klein’s address. At the end Tie said,
“Thanks also to the roster of talented people
who have been keeping us all entertained,
including those in front of us today.”
(
•5»
Knit 250 people marched July 26 during the
first Gay Pride parade in St. John, New
Brunswick. “The mtxxl was festive and a small
crowd in Kings Square supportive and polite as the
parade went by," according to The Halifax Herald.
The parade was a reaction to nasty com
ments made May 8 by St. John federal Mem
ber of Parliament Elsie Wayne. She also is
deputy leader of the federal Progressive C o n
servative Party.
“This parade would never have happened if
it wasn’t for Elsie’s remarks,” organizer Judith
Mcinert told the Herald. “She mobilized people
to come out and show their support for the gay
community."
FRANCE
onservative French Prime Minister Jean-
Pierre Raffarin met with gay activists
July 18 and promised to intrixiuce anti-discrim
ination legislation.
He had separate meetings with members of
the Joint Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexu
als and Transsexuals and with members of Gay
Lib, who are affiliated with President Jacques
Chirac’s center-right Union for a Popular Move
ment party. Attendees said Raffarin refused to
C
budge on two of their requests: residency and
pension rights for gay couples who tie the knot
under France’s civil solidarity pact law.
U Z B E K IS TA N
he sodomy trial of openly gay journalist Rus
lan Sharipov began July 23 in Tashkent.
According to Human Rights Watch, his May 26
arrest likely was retaliation for articles he has writ
ten on police corruption and human rights abuses.
Sharipov also was charged with having sex
with minors and pimping. The trial has been
closed to protect the identities of the hoys he
allegedly violated.
“Sharipov s long-standing history of criticizing
government policy, combined with past harass
ment against him and his colleagues, raise strong
suspicions that this is a politically motivated
case,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director
of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central
Asia division. “That the authorities would charge
him with committing homosexual acts, violating
his fundamental rights to nondiscrimination and
privacy, makes it doubly egregious.”
Only three of the 15 former Soviet republics
still ban gay sex: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan.
T
ISR A EL
el Aviv announced July 30 that same-sex cou
ples will have access to city-provided spousal
benefits such as disaxints at municipal cultural and
sports events. To be eligible, gay couples must pre
sent an affidavit declaring they live together.
T
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THE P H ILIP P IN E S
olice raided a gay bar July 5 in Baguio City
and arrested seven male performers for
working without permits and dancing nude. A
police spokesman said the mid on the Chip and
Dale bar was the beginning of a new drive
against bars that offer nude shows.
P
LEBANO N
1 ay activists in Beimt have launched a boy-
' cott of Dunkin’ Donuts, alleging the chain
regularly evicts obvious homosexuals.
“Dunkin’ Donuts’ Beimt branches have been
denying service to gay and ‘gay-lurking’ customers
under the pretext of protecting their version of
‘family values,’ ” activist Ghassan Makarem said
in a statement posted at beimt.indymedia.org.
Company spokesman Elie Tanios told The Daily
Star that the evicted customers “talk loudly and
invade other customers’ privacy.”
An employee at one of the shops told the
paper: “ In several instances, these customers
displayed homosexual affection. They held
hands, hugged and sometimes even kissed
while they were on the premises. Personally,
I’m not offended by such demeanor. But for
Lebanese social norms, their behavior was not
acceptable to other customers, who threatened
to call the police."
The activists are demanding “a press release
from the mother company
and the Lebanese local
branches clarifying the issue
and stating that homosexu
als are welcome on the
premises of Dunkin’ Donuts
worldwide, including Bei-
mt, and will he offered the
same services just like any
other customer.”
Christine Hall
courtesy of Multnomah County Health Dep’t
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11 O S P I T A I ,
jn
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (center) promises the
government will introduce anti-discrimination legislation
Compiled by R ex
W cx :KNER, who has
reported for the gay press
since 1985. He has a
bachelor's degree m
journalism from Drake
University and started his
career as a radio reporter.
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