iuly 1. 2005 ' jUSt QUt 21
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news
eventually may lead to a full-blown Anglican
schism, some observers believe.
C osta R ican C ops F ace P unishment
for A ttack on G ays
Two agents from Costa Rica’s Department of
Criminal Investigations may be suspended or
fired after San José police arrested them for
shouting insults at men leaving a gay bar and for
firing their pistols and attacking a taxi driver at
the scene, InsideCostaRica.com reported
June 22.
The departments internal affairs unit is
investigating the incident. The agents were
turned over to the Public Ministry, which will
process their cases through the judicial system.
V enezuelans S tage K iss -I n
at S upreme C ourt
Gay activists staged a kiss-in June 14 outside
Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice in Cara­
cas, demanding marriage rights for same-sex
couples.
Dozens of people took part in the protest,
chanting, “We’re Venezuelans, too” and “Mar­
riages now, no more fucking around.”
“We had to repeat the protest 10 times
because every 15 minutes another journalist
showed up,” said Santiago Farias of the gay
group Affirmative Union.
EUROPE
S pain L egalizes S ame -S ex M arriage
ski banned the Gay Pride parade.
Kaczynski had said he opposed both “propa­
gating gay orientation” and holding the event
on the same day Warsaw unveiled a monument
to anti-Nazi hero Gen. Stefan Rowecki.
Around 300 anti-gay protesters hurled eggs
and shouted slurs at the marchers. Ten people
were arrested and three were injured, including
a policeman.
Deputy Prime Minister Izabela Jaruga-
Nowacka and Deputy Speaker of Parliament
Tomasz Nalecz joined a queer rally outside
Parliament.
S lovenian P arliament
P asses P artnership L aw
Slovenia’s National Assembly approved a
same-sex partnership bill June 22 by a vote of
44-3. A total of 43 other deputies were missing
for the vote.
Gay rights groups denounced the bill, saying
that they were shut out of the precess and that
it doesn’t go nearly far enough. The measure
grants registered couples spousal rights in the
areas of property, support, hospital visitation
and, partially, inheritance.
“The new bill, which is bringing only partial
rights, is discriminatory, treating LGBT citizens
as second-class citizens,” said Tatjana Greif of
SKUC-LL, the Lesbian Section of the Students’
Cultural Center. “We do not want to participate
in the process of ‘virtual democracy.’ However,
we see the new law as the first and fundamental
step towards introducing more equal legislation
for sexual minorities in Slovenia. Our mission
Spanish lawmakers legalized gay marriage
June 30 following criticism
by conservative religious
groups.
The law gives homo­
sexual couples the same
rights as heterosexual cou­
ples, including adoption,
inheritance and pension
rights. The measure was
passed by a vote of
187-147.
This victory for civil
rights activists comes after
a setback last month when
the Senate rejected the
bill. Opponents presented
lawmakers with a petition
signed by 600,000 people
against same-sex unions
June 29.
“Today, Spanish society
is responding to a group of
people who have been Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek speaks out in favor of a same-sex
humiliated, whose rights registered partnership bill in the Czech Chamber of Deputies.
have been ignored, their
dignity offended, their identity denied and their and our goal for the future is to take all the nec­
freedom restricted,” Prime Minister José Luis essary steps to improve the existing law.”
Rodríguez Zapatero told Parliament.
Spain is the fourth country to legalize gay
ASIA/PACIFIC
marriage, after Canada, the Netherlands and
S ingapore B ans C ircuit P arty
Belgium.
Singapore has banned the large gay circuit
C zech PM S upports P artner B ill
party Nation after allowing it the past four years.
Police refused a permit for the event, calling
Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek said
June 12 that he supports a proposed same-sex reg­ it “contrary to public interest in general.”
istered partnership bill and wants his party’s
The party, which is organized by Fridae.com,
members in the Chamber of Deputies to vote for will be moved to Phuket, Thailand. It is sched­
uled for Nov. 4 to 6, sponsored by Motorola and
it.
“It is a good law,” said Paroubek, a Social Subaru.
Phuket
province
Gov.
Udomsak
Democrat.
The Gay and Lesbian League had requested Assawarangura said he welcomes the event.
About 8,000 people attended last year’s
Paroubek’s support for the bill shortly after he
was appointed prime minister in April. A simi­ party, 40 percent of them from overseas. They
lar measure was rejected by the Chamber of pumped an estimated $6 million into the Singa­
porean economy. jm
Deputies in February.
P olish G ays M arch
D espite B an
Some 2,500 queers marched June 11 in War­
saw, Poland, even though Mayor Lech Kaczyn­
Compiled by R ex W oc 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.
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