24 j* * s t o u t • december 19. 2003
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British Member of Parliament C hris Bryant was
caught with his pants down at Gaydar.co.uk (right)
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UNITED KINGDOM
.K. Member of Parliament Chris Bryant,
who represents Wales’ Rhondda Valley area,
is under fire for sharing a photo of himself wearing
only underwear with users of the Gaydar.co.uk
cruising site and for sending a sexually explicit
e-mail to a cmiser he hoped to hixik up with. “I’d
love to meet for a gtxxJ long tuck," it said.
Bryant has been under consideration as a
future Labor Party leader, an idea that has been
dampened by the flap.
“I’m sorry this has happened,” the 4 1 -year-
old saiJ Dec. 2. “I’ve always been open and hon
est about my private life but never sought to
make an issue of it. I’m saddened that others
have sought to do so. T h e important thing is the
work that 1 do for my constituents as an MP.
I will not myself be distracted from standing up
for the people of the Rhondda."
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8
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COLOMBIA
A
ctivists marched through Bogota with a 10-
fcxit-tall condom Dec. 1, World A ID S Day.
T h e giant prophylactic, constructed of hun
dreds of ordinary rubbers in the three colors of
the Colom bian flag, was paraded from Indepen
dence Park to Bolivar Plaza. T h e demonstrators
denounced Colom bian Rom an C atholic Cardi
nal Alfonso López Trujillo for his assertions that
condoms do not prevent HIV transmission.
C HIL E
i,.1 antiago Mayor Joaquin Lavin banned a
World A ID S Day event Nov. 30 in the Plaza
de Armas citing security concerns, according to
the Web site Orgullogay.cl.
T he commemoration had been planned by
nongovernmental A ID S groups
and organizations of people liv
ing with A IDS. They issued a
statement denouncing the deci
sion as “an explicit act of dis
crimination against people liv
ing with HIV and individuals
who work in the A ID S field.”
he United Kingdom is moving ahead with
plans for a “civil partnership” law under
which same-sex couples could
register their relationship with
the government and acquire
spousal rights and obligations.
T he legislation was formal
ly announced during the
Nov. 26 Q u een’s Speech.
Spousal rights and obligations
would be extended in the areas
BR AZIL
of hospital visitation, parental
he mayor of Bocaiuva do
responsibility,
immigration,
Sul in Brazil’s Parana state
pension benefits, inheritance,
tenancy, accident compensa
banned homosexuals and “any
tion, criminal injury compen
element linked to this class"
sation, financial support and
from moving to the town
exem ption from testifying
Dec. 3, according to Reuters.
Mayor Joaquin Lavin banned a
against each other in court.
Elcio
Berti explained, “This
World A ID S Day event Nov. 3 0
T he head of the United
municipality is fighting to sup
in Santiago, Chile
Kingdom’s national gay lobby
port social projects and needs to
bring in industries, for which people with strong
group, Stonewall, praised the proposal but
fists are needed to operate prexiuction tools.”
expressed concern it might be thwarted by the
House of Lords.
He also said the town, population 10,000,
“This is a hugely significant milestone,” Ben
needs to “preserve respect and family atmos
phere" and increase its birthrate. Berti previous
Summerskill said. “Hundreds of thousands of
gay couples have undergone real suffering
ly banned sale of condoms and other birth con
because the law dtx's not recognize their long
trol measures and reportedly handed out free
term relationships. We hope the government
Viagra to encourage reproduction.
will move swiftly so that this injustice can lx*
“I need to increase the population by encour
righted as stxin as possible. Our key anxiety aris
aging people to have kids, not with trouble
es from the House of Lords’ repeated willingness
makers," he told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspa
in the past to frustrate fair treatment for gay peo
per. "W h en I was a kid I used to live among
ple. We hope that peers will back a move long
criminals, but even so they were all real men.”
overdue in a 21st century nation.”
Gay activists announced plans to sue to
overturn the decree, and state officials Dec. 5
C H IN A
charged Berti with violation o f local and federal
hina’s Fudan University is the first to offer
anti-discrimination laws and abuse of adminis
a class devoted to homosexuality, The South
trative power, The Advocate reported.
China Morning Post reported.
“Mayor Elcio Berti stepped beyond any reason
About 60 students have enrolled in “Homo
able limit," prosecutor Agenor Salgado told The
sexual Health, Society and Science.” In addi
Associated Press. “If convicted, he could face two
tion toclassrixim work, they will take a field trip
to four years in prist in, aside from losing his office."
to Shanghai’s gay bars.
"T he number of homosexuals in China is
large, but people who dare to speak out are few.
Brazilian court granted permanent residen
This is slowly changing," said the class’s instruc
cy to a British man Nov. 25 so he could
tor, Qin Shide.
remain with his same-sex partner.
A