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