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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2006)
NOVEMBER 17, 2006 JUStOUt 21 ASIA/PACIFIC China Gets First Gay Student Union Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China, has become the first university in the nation to formal ly set up a gay student union, The South China Morning Post reported. The organization, called Happy Together, will raise awareness of sexual minority issues and provide HIV education, chairwoman Liao Mingzhu said. In Beijing, meanwhile, the city’s first gay clinic opened Oct. 28, the Xinhua news service reported. A project of the Chaoyang Chinese AIDS Volunteer Group and the Chaoyang District Disease Prevention and Control Center, the clinic offers free, anonymous testing for sexually transmit ted diseases and HIV as well as free treatment for syphilis, gonorrhea and herpes. Tory Member of Parliament Greg Barker was People who test HIV-positive will be sent to outed by the British press. free national treatment programs, which provide antiviral drugs to 25,000 people in 31 provinces, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ghana. Xinhua said. The bill allows for the “voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnized and registered by ¡ either a marriage or civil union” without specifying Aussie PM Supports Rights for Same-Sex Couples While he opposes same-sex marriage, and civil union laws that too closely resemble marriage, Conservative Australian Prime Minister John Howard pledged Oct. 21 to work to grant gay couples some legal rights. Reports said the areas to be considered include taxation, Medicare, pharmaceutical benefits, pensions, elderly care, immigration and subsidized military housing. The Weekend Australian news paper said Howard expressed interest in the matter after a quiet lobbying campaign by Liberal members of Parliament. r/j.1 a; i South Africa Adopts Same-Sex Marriage South African lawmakers passed legislation rec ognizing same-sex marriage Nov. 14 by a 230-41 vote amid criticism from both sides on the issue. Gay rights activists say the bill does not go far enough, while conservative groups warn the bill will provoke “God’s anger" in a country where homosexuality is taboo. Others, including the gov erning African National Congress, found that the bill extended basic freedoms to everyone. The South African Constitution was the first to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual ori entation, which provided a legal tool for activists to push for marriage equality in such a conservative country. Homosexuality continues to be illegal in most sub-Saharan countries, including Zimbabwe, whether they are of the same or opposite sex. AMERICAS Colombian Senate Approves Civil Union Bill Colombia’s Senate approved a civil union bill Oct. 10 in a 48-40 vote. The measure still faces action in the House and, if it passed there, would need President Alvaro Uribe’s signature. The bill, known as Project 130, sets up a registration mechanism and grants regis tered couples marriage rights in the areas of social security, health benefits, pensions and joint owner ship of property. “Although there is still a long legislative road ahead for the bill to become law, Colombian LGBT advocates are elated and celebrating the fact that this is the first time ever that a Colombian congres sional branch has voted to recognize the rights of gays and lesbians,” said New York City activist and blogger Andrés Duque, a native of the South American nation. Mexico City Passes Civil Unions The Mexico City Legislative Assembly passed a civil union law for same-sex couples Nov. 9. The vote was 43-17 with five abstentions. The statute, which will take effect by March, grants spousal rights in areas such as property, pensions, inheritance, medical decisions and co parenting. Heterosexual couples and nonsexual couples also can register under the law. The northern Mexican state of Coahuila, which borders Texas, also is considering a civil union bill. The legislation, introduced by the rul ing Institutional Revolutionary Party, is supported by Gov. Humberto Moreira, who said, “It would be discriminatory not to...respect the rights of every person regardless of sexual affiliation.” Other Latin American localities with same-sex civil union laws include Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; and the Argentine province of Rio Negro. © R ex WOCKNER has reported for the gay press since Conservative Australian Prime Minister John Howard pledged to grant same-sex couples some rights. 1985. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Drake University and started his career as a radio reporter. WITH AM &. DICKEY PRINTING PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS DIRCCT MAIL 1-800-826-5690 We can... PRINT IT • ADDRESS IT SILKSCREEN IT • EMBROIDER IT SHIP IT... No matter who your audience is, we can help you get your message in front of them... Guaranteed! 5 2006 J How Can We PROMOTE Your Business?
