JULY 3, 2008
justout 21
Report: Gay Life in Albania
Is Not Good
Gay people in Albania face routine
intolerance and physical and psychologi
cal violence, says a new report by Thomas
Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s
commissioner for human rights.
The report was presented June 18 to
the council’s Parliamentary Assembly
With the help of Tasmanian Greens MP Nick
and Committee of Ministers.
McKim, Tasmania may become the first Australian
“An open discussion regarding ho state to open marriage to gay couples.
mosexuality remains taboo in Albania,”
Hammarberg wrote. “LGBT persons are routinely
“The group was created on the idea that wom
subject to intolerance, physical and psychological
en should be encouraged to empower themselves
violence and seen by many as persons suffering
and each other through mutual support,” organiz
from an ‘illness.’ There have also been cases of ers said in a statement. “Our goal is to create a
mistreatment by the police.
safe space in Lebanon where LBTQs can meet,
“There is no single competent body that may
talk, discuss issues, share experiences and work on
accept complaints on the grounds of discrimina improving their lives and themselves.”
tion on the basis of sexual orientation in Albania
in the context of employment,” the report con
ASIA/PACIFIC
tinued. “This lacuna results in victims being dis Same-Sex Marriage Bill
suaded or discouraged entirely from seeking just
Introduced in Tasmania
satisfaction.”
Hammarberg said that “to sensitize people on
diversity of sexuality requires education.” He rec
ommended “a combination of public campaigns,
integration of further sexual education within
school curricula and further training of state pro
fessionals, including law enforcement, judicial
and medical personnel.”
U.K. Foreign Office Issues
Gay Rights Kit to Embassies
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has ad
opted an official program in support of sexual mi
nority rights and issued a toolkit to its embassies
around the world to further the undertaking.
“The program and toolkit provide a great
opening for LGBT activists to approach their lo
cal U.K. embassy when they need help,” said the
European Region of the International Lesbian
and Gay Association.
The Netherlands and Sweden are the only
other countries with similar projects aimed at sup
porting gay equality in foreign nations.
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Tasmanian Greens MP Nick McKim intro
duced a bill July 1 to legalize same-sex marriage
in the state Parliament. If it passes, Tasmania will
become the first Australian state to open marriage
to gay couples.
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Marriage has been considered a federal
rather than a state matter in Australia, and
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a federal law explicitly bans same-sex mar
riage. But McKim said new legal research has
revealed that states are not barred from legal
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izing same-sex marriage on their own.
Should Tasmania do so, the federal gov
ernment could reverse it only via a High
Court challenge.
Tasmania already has a law that grants many
of the rights and obligations of marriage to regis
tered same-sex couples.
A L C H E M Y
But a spokesman for the Tasmanian Gay and
Lesbian Rights Group, Rodney Croome, said that
doesn’t constitute true equality. “It’s painful for
many same-sex couples to see their counterparts
in places like California taking solemn legal vows
of lifelong commitment while knowing they can
not do the same in their own country.” (D
Lebanese Lesbians Form
New Organization
R ex W ockner has reported for the gay
Lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer
women in Lebanon have formed a new organiza
tion called MEEM.
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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