January 21.2QQ5 • JllSt OUt 17
tunrmnews
diction in the world,” Bryant said. “We’ve been
very Canadian about this, and the municipali
ties in the province have managed it.... There
has not been any real problems that have
developed.”
Same-sex marriage has been legalized by
court order in seven provinces—British Colum
bia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Nova
Scotia,
Ontario,
Quebec
and
Saskatchewan—as well as the Yukon Territory.
It remains unavailable in Alberta, New
Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut
and Prince Edward Island.
The federal government, agreeing that the
old opposite-sex definition of marriage is un
constitutional, plans to pass legislation through
Parliament in the next few months legalizing
full same-sex marriage nationally.
Only the province of Alberta has objected to
the plan, with Premier Ralph Klein promising
an all-out fight to protect Albertans from gay
matrimony.
Full same-sex marriage also is allowed in the
Netherlands, Belgium and the U.S. state of
Massachusetts. Spain is expected to extend full
marriage rights to same-sex couples later this
year.
Canada has no residency requirements for
marriage, and foreign couples can buy a license
and marry the same day—except in Quebec,
where there is a 20-day waiting period. Quebec’s
waiting period can be waived if advance
arrangements are made with the person who
will conduct the marriage.
A tlantic C anadians O ppose
S ame -S ex M arriage
birth control, abortion and gays.
Critics, including some inside the church,
have called Opus Dei secretive and manipulative.
ASIA/PACIFIC
N epal G ets a G ay N ewspaper
Nepal’s first gay newspaper hit. the streets
rhe third week of January, the Indo-Asian News
Service reported.
Funded by the British Embassy and pub
lished by the gay Blue Diamond Society, the
eight-page Blue Diamond Weekly “aims to sensi
tize locals about the gay community,” the
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The Blue Diamond
Society is Nepal’s
central gay rights
organization
There are only five provinces and territories T asmanian S ame -S ex
in Canada where courts have not legalized
C ouples R egister
same-sex marriage, and residents of some of
A total of 39 same-sex couples registered
them wish it would stay that way.
their relationship during the first year of the
Gay couples can marry everywhere but
Australian state of Tasmania’s partnership reg
Alberta, New Brunswick, the Northwest Terri istry, The Mercury newspaper reported Jan. 3.
tories, Nunavut and Prince Edward Island.
Four heterosexual couples registered also.
A new Corporate Research Associates poll
A total of 22 of the same-sex couples were
found that support for same-sex marriage stands
male and 17 female. Registration confers mar
at 38 percent in New Brunswick and 42 percent
riage rights in areas such as health care, parent
in Prince Edward Island.
ing, adoption, kinship, wills and pensions. The
The poll of Atlantic Canadians also found
registry is open to any two adults if one or both
weak support in two provinces where same-sex
of them provide personal care and domestic sup
marriage is legal—46 percent in Nova Sco
port
to the
tia and 44 percent in Newfoundland and
other, regardless
Labrador.
of whether the
Opposition stands at 52 percent in
relationship has
Newfoundland and Labrador, 53 percent
a romantic com
in New Brunswick, 46 percent in Nova
ponent.
Scotia and 53 percent in Prince Edward
“The Tas
Island. The remaining percentages of peo
manian partner
ple had no opinion.
ship registry is
Parliament is expected to pass legisla
the first in the
tion this spring extending same-sex mar
world for other
Gay rights activist Rodney Croome
riage rights nationwide.
types of signifi
The poll questioned 1,500 people in congratulates Tasmanian couples
cant
personal
Rebecca
Wealands
and
Lee
Hyland
Atlantic Canada and has a margin of error
relationships
of 2.5 percent for the full poll, and of from (left) and Jason Kemp and Mark
like older com
White
4.9 to 5.6 percent for individual provinces.
panions and car
ers and the people they care for," said Rodney
O pus D ei L oses O pus G a y C ase
Crtxime of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian
The international, fundamentalist Roman
Rights Group.
Catholic organization Opus Dei has lost a battle
to force the Chilean gay newspaper OpusCay to
N ew Z ealand P oll I nvalidated
change its name, the British Broadcasting Corp,
Recent editions of this column reported on
reported Dec. 31.
a poll indicating that New Zealanders oppose
Chile’s intellectual property authorities said
the nation’s new gay-inclusive civil unions law
it “is difficult to see how the public could be
by a 3-1 ratio. However, this poll (a 900-
exposed to mistakes or confusions” between the
number phone-in poll that cost $1 to partici
two entities.
pate in) was not scientifically valid. In fact,
Opus Dei officials claimed the paper’s name
scientific polling has found that New Zealan
was a deliberate attempt to offend the organiza ders favor the law by a margin of 56.4 percent
tion and its followers.
to 39.3 percent. JH
Opus Dei, which means “God’s work” in
Latin, was founded in 1928 and has some 80,000
Compiled by R ex WOCKNER, who has reported
members in Europe, North and South America for the Ray press since 1985. He has a bachelor's
and elsewhere. Membership is by invitation
degree in journalism from Drake University and
only. The organization aggressively opposes started his career as a radio reporter.
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PORTLAND ARFA
Bl S|Nt ss ASSOCIATION
report said.
Nepalese gays
say they are rou
tinely rounded
Nepalese gays and lesbians
up and beaten by
celebrate Pride in 2003
the police.
In addition to news, the paper will offer per
sonal stories, an advice column, recipes and
beauty tips.
Proudly7 serving
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