Mexico City lawmakers approved same-sex marriage Dec. 20making it the first measure of its kind passed in Latin America, according to AFP.The new measure modified a civil-union statute already in Mexico City. Members of the Democratic Revolutionary Party ( PRD ) , which has ruled Mexico's capital for the past 12 years, fully supported the measure. The country's ruling National Action Party ( PAN ) opposed the bill. The new law alters the meaning of marriage from "a free union between a man and a woman" to "a free union between two people."
The parliament of Lithuania has decided to take out anti-gay language from a law that restricts information made available to children, according to Advocate.com . Originally, the Law on the Protection of Minors Against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information banned information that "agitates for homosexual, bisexual, and polygamous relations" along with images of sex and death as well as foul language and data on the paranormal. Now, the law bars information that encourages "the sexual abuse of minors, sexual relations between minors, and other sexual relations."
In Australia, a dad is accused of forcing his 14-year-old son to have sex with a prostitute because he thought the boy might be gayand the father will now stand trial for the rape of the son, according to the Morning Bulletin. In 2007, the father reportedly phoned a prostitute to meet her at a motel; he took his son there, and asked to see a used condom as evidence that he had sex. The prostitute has not been located.
India has hosted its first transsexual beauty pageantan event that saw 120 people competing for the title of "Miss India," according to a New York Post item. The pageant, which featured contestants 20-35, took place in the city of Chennai. The Indian Community Welfare Organization, a gay-rights group, organized the pageant, won by 25-year-old Mumbai model Kareena.
Police officer Mark Carter, 27crowned Mr. Gay UK in 2006has been arrested in connection with allegedly committing a sex-based attack, according to Pink News. The Huddersfield Examiner reported, "Police arrested a 27-year-old man at a hotel in Leeds on suspicion of committing a serious sexual offence, on Saturday, December 19th." Carter, who has been suspended, has been with the Huddersfield Police since 2005.
Compiled by Andrew Davis