i'iu in ijn e w s dancehall singers whose lyrics promote murder of «ays. The council ordered the city’s chief execu­ tive to write to the large record store chains Vir­ gin Megastore, HMV and M VC and suggest they pull such music from their shelves. Councilors also will ask the city’s three mem­ bers of Parliament to lobby the U.K. govern­ ment to ban incitement to hatred against queers. “Th is unanimous vote by all parties in the council is a significant victory in the long battle against murder and hate music,” Green Coun­ cilor Simon Williams said. “The sale of music inciting the hanging, shutting and burning of gay people is not an acceptable part of freedom of expression.” S izzla Is U nrepentant Jamaican dancehall music star Sizzla, barred from entering the United Kingdom because of his anti-gay lyrics, will not apologize for them, the British Broadcasting Corp.' reported Nov. 25. “They’ve got to apologize to God because they break G od’s law,” he told the BBC’s 1 Xtra station. “Why must I apologize to corruption? How can I do that? 1 sing ‘fire burn for homosex­ uals’ and sometime in some street I walk, I see them and me no touch them. If I don’t like what you’re doing, I don’t come there; if you don’t like what I’m Sizzla: No friend of gays doing or what 1 say, you don’t come where I’m at." Sizzla was banned from the United Kingdom while police and government agencies examine lyrics such as “fire fi di man dem web go ride man behind,” which means “hum the man who rides a man from behind.” N orway R ejects S ame -S ex M arriage Norway’s Parliament rejected a hill Nov. 18 to make the nation’s marriage law gender-neutral. Norway already offers gay registered partnerships that grant every right of marriage except access to adoption. The hill was opposed by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s Christian Kjell Magne Democratic Party and by Bondevik: Also right-wing parliamentarians. no friend of gays A SIA C hina I ssues E stimate of G ay P opulation China has 5 million to 12.5 million gay men— 2 percent to 4 percent of the male pop­ ulation— the Ministry of Health said Dec. 2. It estimated that about 1.35 percent of them are infected with HIV, based on limited testing. The statistics were a first for China. According to People’s Daily, “ information on gay people is being collected in each province” via 42 “monitoring spots.” The paper said that condoms are being given away for free and that HIV prevention information is being disseminated. “The number of female homosexuals, also called lesbians, is much less than that of males,” according to a version of the story that ran on the News Guangdong Web site. Multnomah Antiques F ilipino C ity B ans F eminine M en The Philippines’ most Islamic city, Marawi City, has banned men from going out in public wearing female attire, makeup, earrings “or other ornaments to express their inclinations for femininity,” The Philippine Star reported Dec. 4. The City Council also banned skintight blue jeans, tube tops and other skimpy attire. Women must not “induce impure thoughts or lustful desires.” Mayor Omar Solitario Ali said the moves are part of a “cleaning and cleansing” drive to improve the city’s image. “Since Marawi City is the only Islamic city in the country and a part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, we have to com­ ply with the culture, religion and tradition of the Muslims hut without going against the country’s constitution,” he told the paper. People who violate the rules will have paint dumped on their heads by the muttawa, the religious police. Officials also banned video games and prohibited karaoke bars from being located near mosques or schmls. A rmy M ajor I nvestigated for S ex C rimes A Philippine Army major, Ferdi­ nand Ramos, has been placed on “tech­ nical arrest” for allegedly forcing male military trainees to fellate him and each other and engage in other gay sex acts, the Asian News Network reported Nov. 22. Ramos was chief of civil military operations at Camp O ’Donnell in the Tarlac province, a position from which he has been suspended. Investigators will determine if Ramos violated Article of War 96, which deals with conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The alleged actions came to light after a trainee gave a videotape to a television inves­ tigative reporting program. The show aired parts of the tape in which Ramos apparently forced a trainee to fellate him and made male trainees have sex with each other. F or T h e H o lid a y s Dining Tables & Chairs Silver Glass Table Linens China ~ ~ ~ ~ Mon.-Sat. 10:00am - 5:30pm • Sun. Noon-4:00pm In Multnomah Village . 7764 SW Capitol Hwy. . 503.245.8283 L aw O f f i c e of J PC Don’t let voters tell you your rights. PROTECT your relationships with the proper legal assistance. 503.224.661 1 TEL 806 sw B roadway , S t e . S O O P ortland , O r e g o n 97205 J a m e s D. M c V i t t i e JiS ä lil Attorney-at-law, I.ic. in OR A WA WWW. MC VI TT « E -L AW.COM m Your # 1 choice 24/7/365 . ~ v .: 503.227.1212 p o r n sp p in c s C rec C ray ( 760 ) 833-5434 DBL REALTORS ^ . I I 1 O O tneD y S iNTf*NA-ioNAi REALTY E x cepti onal H omes 1345 NPalm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 CONDOS • VACATION HOMES • HOTEL PROPERTIES • APARTMENT BLDGS. Big City Produce 2 0 0 4 BEST Aw ard winner - Best Sustainable Food System Little Store... Big on Diversity. 7 2 2 N . Sumner (at N . Albina), Portland 5 0 3 -4 6 0 -3 8 3 0 O ne -F ifth of A ustralian L esbian C ouples H ave K ids About 20 percent of Australian lesbian cou­ ples have children living with them, according to a study presented by the federal minister for family arid community services. The report, Diversity arui Change in Australian Families, also found that 5 percent of gay male couples have kids living with them, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Nov. 24. Research author David de Vaus of La Trohe University suggested 28,144 lesbian couples and 41,535 male couples are living in Australia, which has a population of 19,913,144. Single gays and lesbians with children were not includ­ ed in the study. De Vaus also found that gay and lesbian cou­ ples are more educated than their heterosexual counterparts— with coupled gay men twice as likely as coupled straight men to have a college degree. Coupled homosexuals also make more money than coupled straight people. About 30 percent of coupled gay men arc in the highest income brackets, compared with 23 percent of coupled straight men. About 23 percent of cou­ pled lesbians are in the highest income brackets, compared with 7 percent of coupled straight women. j n Compiled hy R ex Wtx:KNER, 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. M c V it t ie , am es D. 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