PTTTïïFl news
LOCALLY
OWNED
A OPERATED
1 M c m e ‘D e liv e re d .
the festival program.” T he tribunal also recently
allowed men-only sessions at a swimming pool
after Muslim men claimed the presence of
women violated their religious beliefs.
FRANCE
isneyland Paris will see its first “Gay Day"
Oct. 4. Disney is not involved in organiz
ing the influx of homosexuals, who will wear
white T-shirts to enhance their gaydar.
“It’s a day like any other,” a park spokesman
told Reuters. “There is no discrimination at Dis
ney either on the grounds of politics, religion or
indeed sexual orientation.”
In the U nited States, Christian political
groups routinely fume about unofficial Gay Days
at Disneyland and Disney World.
D
B U L G A R IA
I ' ) arliament banned bias based on sexual orien
tation and a number of other factors Sept. 16.
A nine-member commission will hear discrim
ination cases, will require the accused to prove the
discrimination did not occur and will mete out
penalties when appropriate. All nations planning
to join the European Union are required to pro
tect gays and lesbiaas from discrimination.
“Now I am afraid of my own shadow and the
noise of the opening of the cell’s doors, because
I am waiting the next round of torture at the
hands of the officers of the Mirzo-Ulugbek Dis
trict Department of Internal Affairs and other
structures of the system.... Soon, I will be sent
to a prison colony to serve my sentence, where
[I have been told that] some people are already
waiting for me and I will have to answer for the
‘damage’ caused to independent Uzbekistan."
INDIA
awyers for the national government Sept. 8
told the Delhi High Q u irt that gay sex must
remain banned because of societal disapproval.
“Indian society by and large disapproves of
homosexuality, and disapproval was strong
enough to justify it being treated as a criminal
offense even where the adults indulge in it in
private," they wrote.
T he AIDS organization Naz Foundation
sued to overturn Penal Code Section 377,
which punishes gay sex, lesbian sex and bestial
ity with up to life in prison. It says the law inter
feres with its HIV prevention efforts.
But the government argued, “Deletion of the
said section can well open the floodgates of delin
quent behavior and be construed as providing
unbridled license for the same.” It also charged that
Naz had no standing to bring the lawsuit because it
has not been prosecuted under Section 377.
T he court will consider the matter further
, Dec. 10.
L
FRESH LOCAL
J\fem Jßecation
2 0 1 9 SE B elm o n t
ORGANIC PRODUCE
WITH RETAIL SPACE
Organics to You
( 503 ) 236-6496
HOME
'HI i \ I RY O f ORGANIC CtK)i>S
www. organicstoyou. org
Know Someone With a
Drug or Alcohol Problem?
Free, confidential, statewide telephone assistance and crisis intervention
lor alcohol and drug problems
Call the HelpLine
nssHas
www orpartnership org
800-923-HELP
A ^ A -' A /
vX
m ■ *—
»
Retail Nursery - Landscape Services toi m. »07:41
End of Season Sales:
O ctober 2-8 - Dry Border Sale— Includes Lavenders and
P en stem on s 30% o ff
O ctober 9-16 - M ixed Border Sale— Includes A n em o n es
and Cam panulas 30% o ff
For Inform ation Call:
503 / 543-7474
O pen daily 9am -5pm
20300 NE Watson Rd
Scappoose, OR 97056
N a tio n a l C a ta lo g u e S ales - w w w .j o y c r e e k .c o m
U .N . Secretary General Kofi A nnan has
been asked to help imprisoned Uzbek gay
journalist Ruslan Sharipov
UZBEKISTAN
mprisoned Uzbek gay journalist Ruslan
Sharipov sent a letter Sept. 5 begging for help
to U.N. Secretary General Kofi A nnan.
According to human rights activists, Sharipov
was av rced into pleading guilty to charges of
stxlomy, sex with minors and running a brothel
after authorities tortured him and threatened to
harm his mother. They say the government target
ed him to silence his journalistic criticism of
human rights abuses and police corruption.
Sharipov received a 5 1/2-year sentence in August.
In the letter to A nnan, Sharipov wrote:
“Before I ‘confessed’ and ‘plead guilty’ at the
trial...I was forced to write a ‘death note,’ in
which I wrote, as dictated, a gixxlbye letter and
declared that I committed suicide of my own
volition. 1 was clearly told that if I would write
any further appeals or complaints, I would com
mit suicide, that is, I would ‘kill myself.’
“I was tortured and pressured in ways I cannot
describe with the aim of forcing me to confess and
plead guilty at trial for a crime that I hadn’t com
m itted.... They put a gas mask on my head and
sprayed an unknown substance into my throat,
after which 1 could hardly breathe. They also
injected an unknown substance into my veins and
warned me that if I did not follow their instmc-
tions they would give me an injection of the
AIDS virus. I could not withstand cuch excesses,
and now I am writing only a small part of what 1
faced.... To be honest, 1 was hombly afraid after
what they had done with me and...I was also
afraid that they could do all this to my mother and
ytxinger brother, as well as to my lawyers....
Prime M inister M ahathir Mohamad blamed
homosexuality for the “ frenzy to fulfill all
lusts” in Malaysia
M ALAY S IA
I
rime
M inister
M ahathir
M ohamad
denounced homosexuality during his
National Day speech Aug. 31.
“Crimes like rape, incest and horrific murder
are happening every day in our country when
they previously did not,” he said. "This is
because the culture of violence and sex is being
spread via the television and videos from the
West. There is a degradation of moral values
due to pornographic videos, so much so that
locals are also willing to act in pornographic
films. Western films adulate sex, violence, mur
der and war. Homosexuality is allowed; even
religious leaders are openly gay. They are
incensed, especially their journalists, many of
whom are gay, when the practice is punished
under our laws.
“This degradation of morals and frenzy to ful
fill all lusts will weaken our spirit to fight and
bring ill to stKiety,” M ahathir said. “O ur ability
to distinguish the gixxl from the bad is dim in
ishing. This, together with other things that dis
turb our thoughts, like the ideology of liberal
detruxrracy and human rights, means the colo
nization of our minds is complete.” J H
Compiled by REX W(X: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.
LAURELHURST
DENTISTRY
Experienced
Reliable
C larice J ohnston
d m . d .
& ASSOCIATES
• Treatm ent explained and discussed
• Teeth whitening
• New patients welcome
503 / 233-3622
2520 East Burnside
ZACH
NEWMAN
Trusted
R eal E sta te B rok er
IVIultl-IVlillion Dollar Producer
Down-to-earth style, no sales pressure,
just the best advice and representation
you can get. When buying or selling
a home, call Zaeh for a fret», private,
no obligation consultation.
5 0 3 - 2 8 2 -5 1 6 4
Z achN ew m an@ aoL com
R&fldHC equity group, Inc.
^
2100 NE Broadway, Portland