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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2005)
march 418. 2Û05 ’ jUSt OUt 21 PTFTm news PRESS RELEASE Linda Lee Michelet will be returning to the I leathman Hotel ^J/eatkman - Jfotef at S> IU S)afmon fxT /^roailtvau Saturday, flfarcli 26, 2005 edgment of our relationship and are over the moon that is finally going to happen.” The law takes effect Dec. 5, and couples can get hitched at a register office starting Dec. 21 — 15 days after giving notice of their inten tion to do so. Registered partners will receive rights and obligations in areas including accident compensation, life insurance, immigra- Hats off chaps! tion, inheritance, intestacy, pensions, taxation, tenancy, spouse and child support and workplace benefits. Couples who have entered a legal same-sex union overseas will not need to reregister in the United Kingdom to be recog nized. There will be a formal court process for dissolution of a civil partnership. S wedish P rosecutor A ppeals A nti -G ay P astor C ase The case of a Swedish pastor who preached that homosexuality is “a cancerous tumor on the body of society” that leads to bestiality and pedophilia is heading to Sweden’s Supreme Court. o Ake Green was convicted of “agitation against a group” by a district court and sen tenced to a month in prison, but the convic tion was overturned by the Gota Court of Appeal. The state prosecutor now is appealing that ruling. “In the sermon there were statements which must be interpreted as extremely offensive for homosexuals,” prosecutor Fredrik Wersalls said March 9. “We need guiding pronouncements about where the boundaries ‘lie between an objective, genuine discussion and punishable abuse, as well as what the significance is if the person making the offensive statements says he has support for them in religious documents.” Green says if he loses at the Supreme Court, he will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. G reek O fficials C all for G ay C ivil U nions Greece’s National Commission for Human Rights said Feb. 25 that the nation should pass a civil union law to recognize and extend spousal benefits to same-sex relationships. The Justice Ministry can chtxise to follow or ignore the committee’s advice. “We are dealing with this only as a state issue. We do not care if the church agrees or not,” said commission spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou. Gay groups welcomed the proposal but said it doesn’t go far enough. MIDEAST/AFRIC A S audi A rabia E xecutes S ame -S ex C ouple Saudi Arabia executed two men March 1 3 for the murder of a Pakistani man they feared would expose their gay relationship. According to the Interior Ministry, Ahmed al-lnizi and Shaher al-Ruwaily ran over Malek Zade Khan with a car, smashed his head with a rock and set him on fire after he caught them having sex. The executions occurred in Arar, a northern city near the Iraq border. Q ueers M arch in C ape T own Hundreds of people marched in Cape Town, South Africa’s Gay Pride parade Feb. 26, includ ing traffic cops twirling their truncheons, The Sunday Argus reported. Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo kicked off the procession, which was followed by a big street bash in Green Point. The 10-day Cape Town Pride Festival also featured parties, films, art exhibitions and the crowning of Awash in diamonds, Miss Gay Pride 2005. Ms. Gay Pride 2005 * 8:00 pan. to midniaht * f/o cover I he greatest American tunes. The classiest venue. And one gorgeous songstress - together again. ASIA/PACIFIC S ingaporean H ealth O fficial U psets G ays Gay activists reacted angrily March 10 to a suggestion by Singapore’s junior health minister that the annual “Nation.04” gay circuit party could be to blame for the country’s increasing HIV rate. The party, Balaji Sadasivan said, may have attracted “gays from high-prevalence societies to fraternize with local gay men, seeding the infec tion in the local community.” Activist Eileena Lee from the People Like Us group accused him of “paranoia.” The party’s organizer, via the Fridae.com Web site, said the government must accept blame for the infection rate because gay sex is illegal and official FIIV educational campaigns never target the gay community. A total of 311 Singaporeans were diagnosed with HIV in 2004, a 28 percent increase. Only a third of the newly infected men acknowledged having gay sex. Linda Lee Michelet will be returning to the Heathman Hotel Saturday, March 26, with her sultry, seductive homage to the great torch singers. Reflecting her love for vocal legends like Julie Ix>ndon, Rosemary Clooney and Peggy I,ee, Ms. Michelet breathes radiance into the depth and beau ty of the great American songbook with her own distinctive voice and sensitive touch. Backed by an accomplished and unique musical ensemble, including world-renowned Bobby Torres on percussion, Ms. Michelet’s captivating show brings class and glamour to the sophisticated atmosphere of the Ileathman for this magical excursion through the works of classic songwriters like Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin and the marvelous Cole Porter. The unforgettable Peggy Lee’s Afro-Cuban renditions of Broadway musical classics will highlight the March performance. You will want to reserve the evening at the I leathman for this performance celebrating the sexy, sensual women of American jazz. Ix>ok for Ms. Michelet at the 1 leathman monthly throughout the year. Memories are made of this great American music. tutuiu. (tnclamicliefet. com M arriage P rotesters C lash in N ew Z ealand Protesters for and against gay civil unions clashed March 6 in Auckland, New Zealand. Thousands of anti-gays affiliated with churches staged a march from the waterfront to Myers Park. But rhe kickoff was delayed when 30 gay activists sat in the street bl<x:king the way. They chanted, “Celebrate, don’t hate.” Police moved the gays out of the way and kept the groups separated for the rest of the march. New Zealand’s Parliament passed a civil union law for gay and straight couples Dec. 9 by a vote of 65-55. Registered couples will receive the same rights and responsibilities as married people. The measure takes effect in April. 450,000 A ttend S ydney ’ s M ardi G ras About 450,000 people turned out to watch the 28th gay Mardi Gras parade March 5 in Sydney, Australia. Highlights included an “Adam and Steve, Ada and Eve” contingent and a panxly of Prince Charles and Camil la Parker Bowles’ wedding complete with Princess Diana’s ghost, said The Sydney Star Observer. Another entry depicted a wedding between President Bush and Aus tralian Prime Minister John Howard. The lead marching group carried flags of countries where gay sex remains criminalized. After the parade, about 19,000 people attended a dance party at Fox Studios. JM Compiled by R ex W ockner , who has reported for the gay press since 1985. He has a bachelor’s degree m journalism from Drake Utuversity and started his career as a radio reporter. Celebrate Easter at MCC * EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES 9 àllain Celebrative Worship with choir and brass Children’s Easter Egg Hunt following 1 lam service HOLY WEEK SERVICES 7pm Maundy Thursday Service experience community in a new way 7ptn Good Friday Service a meditative candelighi remembrance www.mccportland.com I rev. glenna shepherd, pastor Metropolitan Community Church 2400 NE Broadway 503.281.8868
