Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2004)
juiy2.2OM • JllSt lürmn news rights and obligations in such areas as adoption, pensions, inheritance, taxation, financial sup port, court testimony and social welfare benefits. A second piece of legislation that does require Bundesrat approval is needed to address som’e of these areas. That bill will be introduced this fall, Zypries said. Germany’s partnership law came into force three years ago, but only about 5,000 same-sex couples have taken advantage of it. “The problem with the same-sex life partner ships is that it brings only obligations and virtu ally no rights. It has not been popular,” activist Michael Schmidt told Britain’s The Guardian. CHILE Activists attend a vigil for slain Jamaican gay leader Brian Williamson THAILAND hailand’s Culture Ministry has told televi sion stations to reduce their portrayals of gay behavior, Bangkok’s The Nation reported June The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary for culture, Kia Somtrakul, said several televi sion programs have gotten so gay, they risk cross ing the line to obscenity. "Many parents told me that they are worried that their children would have sexually deviant behavior after viewing such behaviors on TV,” he said. T homophobic nations, a fact that was noted in the report on Williamson’s murder in The Jamaica Observer. 5. “Jamaica has an international reputation for being highly intolerant of homosexuals and has, in the past, fallen under pressure from the inter national community, especially Britain,” the daily newspaper said. “Some local artists have been banned from performing in other countries because of their strong anti-homosexual lyrics.” SWEDEN SOMALIA n Iranian transsexual woman denied asylum in Sweden committed suicide in Stockholm, he group Queer Somalia says the biggest prob Aftonbladet reported June 3. Fatemeh had been sen lem for Somali gays is fear of being murdered. tenced to 50 lashes for homosexuality and feared Islamic law is applied haphazardly in the nation, for her life if she were forced to return home. which continues to lack a central government. But the Swedish Migration Board rejected “My people don’t understand what a homosex her application for asylum, and the decision was ual is," activist Faro told the African gay Web site upheld by the Aliens Appeals Board. Gay Behind the Mask. “They only know that through their religious law, the solution is to kill. There is organizations demonstrated outside the offices of the two boards June 2. no law to protect or help queers in Somalia, and Queer Somalia cannot be public or make demands on the government because there is no govern ment with whom we can talk. The situation for queer people in Somalia is very dangerous.” Faro also said Somali gays seem to have a higher suicide rate than the general population, in part because of extremely homophobic fami ly situations. T JAMAICA amaica’s best-known gay activist was mur dered June 9 in Kingston. Brian Williamson, 59, was found lying in a pool of blood in his bed room with multiple knife wounds. “The condition of his body...and his visibil German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries is ity as a gay man lead us to suspect this is a hate- pushing for equal rights for same-sex couples related crime,” the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays said in a statement. GERMANY Police say the murder was more likely related ermany ’ s government has proposed legisla to robbery, pointing out that Williamson’s room tion to equalize the rights of registered was ransacked and that his safe was missing. same-sex partners with those of married people, They are looking for two men who were seen at Deutsche Welle reported June 5. the residence shortly before the crime. Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries said the first Williamson’s roommate, Desmond Cham of two bills will go to the Bundestag, the lower bers, said of one of the suspects: “I have seen house of Parliament, this summer and will be him here about six times [and] anything him crafted to not require consent from the Bun want, Brian give him. Brian give him money, Brian give him food and help him to purchase desrat, the upper house, where it probably would be rejected. [newspaper] to sell on the road.” “Lesbian and gay couples are a social reality The head of Amnesty International USA’s in Germany,” Zypries told the daily Berliner gay rights program, Michael Heflin, comment Zeitung. “That is why we also want to grant ed, “Brian Williamson was a courageous individ them, to the extent it complies with the consti ual prepared to speak out for one of the most tution and its unique protections of marriage marginalized and persecuted communities in and family, the same rights as married couples.” Jamaica: the gay and lesbian community." Registered same-sex couples lack spousal Jamaica is considered one of the world’s most J he Chilean Supreme Court denied a woman custody of her three daughters June 2 because she’s a lesbian, Human Rights Watch reported. Karen Atala, a judge from the town of Los Andes, had been awarded custody of her chil dren by an appeal court. Her former husband contested the decision, arguing the court wrong fully put her rights before those of her kids. In a 3-2 decision, the Supreme Court panel agreed, saying the children’s emotional and sexual development could be harmed by the absence of a father in the home and “his replacement by anoth er person of the female gender.” It also expressed concern that Atala’s kids could suffer discrimina tion and rejection since “their exceptional family situation is significantly different from that of their classmates and neighborhood peers.” The justices also criticized the lower court for "a serious fault or abuse” because it chose not to uphold “the preferential right of the children to live and grow up in a normally structured and socially reputable family, according to the proper traditional model.” No further appeal is possible. ISRAEL erusalem’s third Gay Pride parade attracted thousands June 3, Haaretz reported. Two anti-gay demonstra tors were arrested for throwing eggs. Dozens of armed police officers escort ed the march from the Ben Yehuda pedestri an mall to Liberty Bell Park, via King George and Keren Hayesod streets. A “happen ing” and party fol Uri Lupolianski lowed in the park. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski later told reporters he tried to prevent the parade but lacked the power to do so. “If I had the legal means for stopping a parade that harms the city and its residents, 1 would prevent the parade,” he said. “I tried to do so, but it was made clear to me that I don’t have the authority. “This parade is not only ugly, it’s also a provocation,” the mayor said. “Even people dis tant from Jerusalem must grasp that this is a sacred city for the Jewish people and the world as a whole. This isn’t Paris, and it isn’t London. I’m not talking about what a person does pri vately in his home—a parade in public is some thing else.... If somebody has some sort of deviant trait, it doesn’t mean that he has to raise its banner in public." Lupolianski likened the parade to Jews march ing with pork in the middle of an Arab neighbor hood. "They came just to arouse anger, to fight and bring about disgusting things,” he said. jH J 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. A .CROWN, M emorial C enter ♦ C remation a B urial K-------------------- '■----------- Z-------------- Family Owned and Operated On-Site Crematory Lowest Cost We re Here to Help! 8974 SW Tualatin Sherwood Road Tualatin, OR 97062 (503) 885-7800 www.ANewTradition.com 1
