32 Just OUt • june 17.2005
UTTTTTl news
EUROPE
M an ’ s D river ’ s L icense P ulled
B ecause H e ’ s G ay
A Sicily court June 7 overturned a decision
by officials in the city of Catania to suspend a
man’s driver’s license because he is gay.
The man, Danilo G., had his license pulled
after authorities learned he was exempted from
military service because of his sexual orienta
tion. The officials said they needed to investi
gate the “suitability” of allowing him to drive.
Danilo’s lawyer called the move “utterly
scandalous and offensive” and sued for half a
million Euros.
“Danilo...is deeply perturbed by what has
happened,” attorney Giuseppe Lipera told the
Ansa news agency. “He has lost his hair and is
suffering shock.”
In siding with Danilo, the court
declared: “It is clear that sexual pref
erences do not in any way influence a
person’s ability to drive motorcars
safely. [Homosexuality] cannot be
considered a true and proper psychi
atric illness, being a mere personality
disturbance."
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Swiss V oters OK P artner L aw
Swiss voters approved a same-sex registered
partnership law June 5. About 58 percent of vot
ers favored the measure.
Although numerous European nations have
enacted such laws, this was the first time the
matter was put to a public vote in Europe—and
the first time in the world that voters passed a
gay partnership law. The measure had passed
Parliament in June 2004, but religious conserv
atives then collected enough signatures to force
a referendum on it.
The law extends numer
ous marriage rights to regis
tered same-sex couples but
withholds rights in the areas of
adoption, in vitro fertilization
and taking each other’s last
name.
A total of 19 of the
100,000 A ttend M ilan P ride Sexual orientation affects
nation’s 26 cantons, or states,
Some 100,000 people gathered the right to drive in Sicily.
approved the law. The highest
June 4 in Milan’s Piazza della Repúb
level of support was in Base I-
lica for the city’s Gay Pride parade.
Stadt—68.59 percent. The lowest level was in
Organizers and marchers demanded passage the small northeastern canton of Appenzell
of a partnership law for same-sex couples.
Innerrhoden—41.6 percent.
Numerous politicians joined the parade, includ
“[The result] shows that we are a pluralistic
ing the president of Milan province, Filippo society that defends its minorities,” activist
Penati; the openly gay
Christian Verdon told
president of the Puglia
Swisslnfo.org. “Homosexu
region, Nichi Vendóla;
als have earned their place
and openly gay Member
in society today. [This law]
of Parliament Franco
will give gay couples far
Grill ini.
more visibility. People only
fear what they don’t know.”
A ctivists S tage
‘W edding ’
in N otre D ame
C athedral
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that we are not afraid,” George lacobescu of the
gay group Accept told Reuters.
Accept leader Florin Buhuceanu told the
French Press Agency, “We are very happy with
our first historic march, which has allowed us to
show ourselves to the world in broad daylight.”
L ondon B orough
B ans R ainbow F lags
Westminster
City
A total of 20 mem
Council has banned rain
bers of ACT UP/Paris
bow flags from storefronts
staged a mock gay wed
in London’s gay Soho dis
ding June 5 inside Notre
trict. Councilors declared
Dame Cathedral.
the flags to be advertising
They chanted, “Pope
rather than a symbol.
Benedict XVI, homo
London Mayor Ken
phobe, AIDS accom
Livingstone responded by
plice.” The group was
calling the councilors
attacked by security per Filippo Penati, president of Milan, joined
“Neanderthals.”
sonnel, and a priest was openly gay politicians in the city's Pride
“Westminster’s deci
injured in the ensuing parade June 4.
sion...shows that its plan
melee.
ning committee is com
“They are savages...barbaric, odious and pletely out of touch with the needs of 21st cen
scandalous,” the priest, Patrick Jacquin, told the tury London,” Livingstone said. “Lesbian and
French Press Agency. “I was pushed to the gay businesses make an enormous contribution
ground and trampled, kicked in the neck. It’s a to the life of this part of London. They should be
scandal for these people to lash out at me and congratulated, not discriminated against.”
the pope.”
An ACT UP spokesman Flamed the vio
MIDEAST/AFRIC A
lence on the church security team’s tactics.
R omania S ees F irst P ride P arade
Romania’s first GayFest Parade went ahead
as scheduled May 28 despite efforts by the
Bucharest mayor’s office to ban it. Local officials
reportedly backed down under pressure from
Romanian President Traian Basescu, who
received thousands of angry e-mails orchestrat
ed by Metropolitan Community Churches and
others.
About 500 people marched, protected by not
police. Passers-by btxied and yelled insults,
including “Get out of Romania" and “Homosex
uality is a sin.”
Police detained several members of the New
Right organization when they tried to cross
police lines and attack the marchers.
N igerian S cammers T arget
G ay C hat R ooms
The United Kingdom’s Gay Police Assenta
tion has issued a warning about Nigerian fraud
sters targeting users of various online gay chat
rooms.
“Many people are familiar with receiving
e-mails from people hased in Nigeria asking for
money and are now wise to this fraud, but it is
much easier to be taken in by someone if you
have spent some time chatting with them
online,” said community adviser lan Saunders.
“People using gay chat rooms need to.. .treat with
caution any requests for money or bank details
from people they have recently chatted to.”
The scammers often claim to be dying of
cancer or involved in chanty work, the associa
tion said.