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The British government will count gays, les
bians and bisexuals in a survey by the Office for
National Statistics, The Times reported.
The decision follows lobbying by gay groups and
government officials who need the information to
Michael Cashman (right, with Bent co-star Sir
adequately provide services.
Ian McKellen) “married" his partner of 23 years.
“LGB individuals and the community as a
Partnership Act, which provides the rights and
whole have historically suffered discrimination, and
obligations of marriage.
there are concerns that this group is currently
ignored in terms of policy and service provision,”
Cashman starred in the series EastEnders before
being elected to the Euro Parliament.
the office said.
Current government estimates are that 6 per
Numerous celebrities attended the ceremony,
including EastEnders stars Barbara Windsor and
cent of the population is gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Officials have hesitated to ask about sexual ori
Michelle Collins, Coronation Street actress Helen
Worth, The Bill star Trudy Goodwin, gay actor Sir
entation in the census—as opposed to in a survey—
because, said census coordinator Joy Dobbs, “We’re
lan McKellen, Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart and
Cherie
Blair, wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
still not sure what it is we are trying to measure—is
it behavior, inclination, identity, lifestyle?”
While on EastEnders, Cashman became a gay
activist,
chairing the national gay lobby group
So the research will, instead, likely be part of
the General Household Survey, which targets
Stonewall.
“1 never thought that this would happen in my
20,000 homes nationwide.
lifetime,” he told Sentinel Sunday. “It is a huge step,
Meanwhile, the 2011 census will count people
who have entered into a same-sex civil partnership
and I am so proud.”
or marriage, officials said.
Partnership Bill Introduced
in Croatia
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Britain to Count Queers
U.K. Navy: The Closet Is Unhealthy
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Debate on a bill to expand the rights of same-
sex couples is under way in Croatia’s Parliament.
In response to demands by the gay organizations
Iskorak and Kontra, gay-supportive legislators hope
to beef up the existing Law on Same-Sex Unions to
reduce the numbet of areas in which it provides
fewer rights than marriage.
Gay activists have denounced the current law
as self-contradictory, saying it both prohibits anti-
gay discrimination and embodies the discrimina
tion “it was designed to prevent, through a narrow,
almost nonexistent scope of rights...for same-sex
partnerships.”
Gay Singer Marries'
Steven Gately, a singer in the defunct British
boy band Boyzone, “married” partner Andy Cowles
on March 19 in London, under the United
Kingdom’s Civil Partnership Act.
The ceremony was held at the Goring Hotel
near Buckingham Palace. In the 1990s, Boyzone
sold more than 10 million records and had six
No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom.
ton
loudj
Boyzone singer Steven Gately registered with
Andy Cowles under the United Kingdom's Civil
Partnership Act.
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British Gay Celebrity Ties the Knot
European Parliament member and former
British television star Michael Cashman “married"
his partner of 23 years, Paul Cottingham, March 11
in London under the United Kingdom’s Civil
It’s a good thing that gays in the United
Kingdom's Royal Navy can be out of the closet
now, personnel chief Vice Admiral Adrian Johns
said March 16.
Leading a “secret life [is] an unhealthy way to
be...in the armed services,” he said, according to
The Daily Telegraph. “Those individuals need nur-
. turing so that they give of their best. Our mission is
to break down barriers of discrimination, prejudice,
fear and misunderstanding.”
Johns spoke at a London conference on gays in
the workplace organized by the gay lobby group
Stonewall. The armed forces dropped its gay ban in
2000.
Czech Parliament Overrides Veto
of Partnership Law
In a surprising move, the Czech Republic’s
Chamber of Deputies overrode President Vaclav
Klaus’ veto of a same-sex partnership bill March 15.
Klaus called the vote “a defeat for all of us who
believe that the family in our society is fundamen
tal, unique, unrivaled.”
Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, on the other
band, said legislators were “liberating one minority
of...our fellow citizens.”
The bill passed 101-76—the minimum needed
for an override in the 200-seat chamber. The orig- .
inal measure had passed 86-53.
In his February veto message, Klaus had argued
that such a law should be approved by a majority of
legislators rather than a majority of those present
for the vote. He also said gay unions undermine tra
ditional values.
Paroubek later denounced Klaus as “unable to
overcome his prejudices.”
In a press statement, the Gay Initiative in the
Czech Republic commented, “The public and the
lawmakers have sent out the clear signal to the
world: The Czech Republic has found its place
among the democratic countries of the world, and
it considers its citizens from [the] gay and lesbian
minority as the equal to others.”
A recent poll found that 62 percent of Czechs
support same-sex registered partnership.