JANUARY 5, 2007 justput.zi
A Beauty Bar
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Full Body Waxing
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Ali Hili (left) of OutRage, a British gay group, accused death squads under the cover of the Iraqi
police of murdering missing gay Iraqi activists.
Same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, the
Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and rhe state of
Massachusetts. Numerous nations have registered
partnership or civil union laws that grant same-sex
couples some, most or all the rights and obligations
of marriage.
MIDEAST/AFRICA
Nigeria Set to Ban Gay Life
I*
Nigerian lawmakers are expected to pass pend
ing legislation that will ban nearly everything gay.
The measure outlaws belonging to a gay group,
reading a gay book, watching a gay movie, visiting
a gay Internet site and socializing by two or more
gay people. For good measure, the bill also bans
same-sex marriage.
Violating the proposed law would result in up to
five years in prison.
Gay sex is already illegal. It is punished with
death in Muslim areas of the nation and with jail
time in Christian sections.
Report: Iraqi Gay Activists
Abducted
Five gay activists were abducted Nov. 9 in
Baghdad and haven’t been heard from since, the
British gay group OutRage has reported.
“The kidnapped men are Amjad, 27; Rafid, 29;
Hassan, 24; Ayman, 19; and Ali, 21,” OutRage
said. “All were members of Iraq’s clandestine gay
rights movement, Iraqi LGBT.... It is feared they
may have been murdered by death squads operat
ing under the cover of the Iraqi police.”
OutRage said the Iraqi activists “had been
documenting the killing of lesbians and gays, relay
ing details of homophobic executions to our office
in London and providing safe houses and support
to queers fleeing the death squads.”
At the moment of their apparent disappear
ance, they were talking on the phone with
OutRage member Ali Hili.
“The five men were holding a secret meeting in
a safe house in the al-Shaab district of Baghdad,”
OutRage said. “Suddenly there was a lot of noise,
then the connection ended."
Meanwhile, men's clothing store owner Haydar
Kamel, 35, “was kidnapped” five days later by
“members of the Mahdi army, an Islamist militia
loyal to fundamentalist leader Muqtada al-Sadr,”
OutRage said.
The group said that Kamel had been providing
financial support to gay men who were hiding after
being threatened by death squads and that he had
received death threats himself.
Another recent incident took place at the Jar
al-Qamar barber shop in the al-Karada district of
Baghdad, OutRage reported.
“It was popular with gay men, which is probably
the reason it was targeted,” the group said. “All four
employees were arrested and taken away by the Iraqi
police. They have disappeared. It is feared that these
10 kidnapped men have been summarily executed.”
Hili called the disappearances “the latest
‘sexual cleansing’ operations mounted by extrem
ist Islamist death squads, many of whom have
infiltrated the Iraqi police.”
“They are systematically targeting gays and
lesbians for extrajudicial execution, as part of their
so-called moral purification campaign,” he said.
"The aim of the death squads is the creation of a
fundamentalist state."
For more information visit iraqilgbtuk.
blogspot.com.
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P. C.
ASIA/PACIFIC
Thai Military Reclassifies Gays,
Transgender People
Gays and transgender people will no longer be
classified as “permanently mentally ill” by
Thailand’s military, but they still won’t be
conscripted because they have “sexual identity
problems.”
The military changed the wording in response
to complaints from gays and transgender people
who said the reference to mental illness on their
military records worked against them when apply
ing for jobs.
All Thai men within certain age brackets are
interviewed yearly to determine if they are fit to
serve their two years of mandatory military service.
Those who show up dressed as women reportedly
are forced to strip before being declared permanent
ly unfit.
Australian State Passes
Partnership Law
The Legislative Council of the state of South
Australia passed a domestic partner hill Dec. 8
granting registered same-sex couples all state-level
rights of marriage. The vote was 16-3.
The measure had passed the lower House of
Assembly earlier. The partnerships also will be
available to any two people who live together.
R ex W( x : kner 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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Building Business
Creating Community
Sd^The Portland Area Business Association
proudly welcomes
vin Yell and Michael Long
cakcrs for the monthly PABA luncheon
now at MacTarnahans
anuary I Oth, 2007 11:30am to 1:00pm
After Hours
supporting the new musical
Can’t Say I Do
by PABA member Kevin Yell
& Peter Alexander
at the World Trade Center
Thursday January l Sth 6:00 - 7:30
Visit www paha com lor details ... and don't forget to renew your membership!