THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

From the 'This-Is-Wrong-In-So-Many-Ways' file, the Chicago Sun-Times ( May 21 ) tells us of a marital problem in Pakistan: A married couple was arrested for lying about the gender of the husband ( who had been a woman but years before had had transformational operations ) . The wife knew this. They got married because the woman's uncle threatened to sell her in marriage to pay off his gambling debts. One can imagine the conundrums of any religious types who attempt to interfere. ( But wait: If she becomes a he, isn't that a good thing since women are ... )

In a file, perhaps called 'A-Plague-On-Both-Your-Houses' The New York Times ( 5/23 ) says the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in sending out invitations for the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference in which all of the Anglican Communion gets together, has invited neither the gay bishop of New Hampshire, V. Gene Robinson, nor the anti-gay bishop in Virginia, Martyn Mims. Mims' own archbishop, Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who has 'hijacked' a number of homophobic parishes from the American bishop Katharine Jeffers Schori, is throwing a hissy fit, saying if Mims can't come none of the Nigerians will come. Robinson, disappointed at his exclusion, said '... when the Anglican Communion is calling for a 'listening process' on ...homosexuality, how does it make sense to exclude gay and lesbian people from the discussion?'

From the 'Don't-Care-About-Don't-Ask' file, the Brits' armed forces have noticed, according to The New York Times ( May 21 ) , that since they've allowed homosexuals to serve that '... none of its fears ... harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness ... have come to pass.' Twenty-four countries allow gay soldiers to serve openly. The British military '... has allowed gay sailors to hold civil partnership ceremonies on board ships' and sailors can march in gay pride parades in full naval uniform.

From the 'Well-She-Placed' file, The New York Times ( 5/22 ) in its usual all the news that's fit to print moxie reports that Verka Serduchka, a Ukrainian drag queen looking '... like a silver-foil version of Mrs. Doubtfire' won second place in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.