Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

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

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

National News
by Rex Wockner
2001-04-25

This article shared 1363 times since Wed Apr 25, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


So. AFRICA PHARM. LAWSUIT DROPPED

by Rex Wockner

In a stunning victory for grassroots AIDS activists, 39 multinational pharmaceutical companies dropped their legal effort to prevent South Africa from importing or producing generic copies of patented AIDS drugs on April 19. The lawsuit had become a public-relations nightmare for the companies.

"We hope our experience has contributed in some way to the larger debate on access to affordable health care for developing countries and for the poor in wealthier nations," said South African Health Minister Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

However, even generic AIDS drugs sold at close to cost are believed to be too expensive for mass distribution in most African nations, including South Africa, officials cautioned.

Tshabalala-Msimang also said the drugs are too toxic and that it is nearly impossible to achieve patient compliance with complex drug regimens in a nation without a First World medical infrastructure.

GAYS PICKET MASS

About 40 gays picketed Easter Sunday mass and conducted a "die-in" in front of Melbourne, Australia's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

They chanted, "George Pell, Go to Hell." Pell is archbishop of the diocese.

"We're here today because over many, many years George Pell and the official rhetoric coming from the Catholic church condemns homosexuals as invalid human beings," protester Jonathan Wilkinson told The Age newspaper.

"A significant number of suicides by gay and lesbian people are due to a non-reconciliation of sexuality with the kind of religious beliefs, ... discriminatory social values and ... the awful rhetoric that discriminates against people for no other reason than their sexual orientation that is spewed forth by the kind of people like George Pell and the Catholic church."

The protesters also hung nooses on the fence surrounding the cathedral.

REPORTS: GUINNESS HAD A GAY SIDE

Actor Alec Guinness "had a homosexual side" and was arrested in 1946 for having gay sex in a public toilet, London's The Guardian reported April 16. Guinness died last August at age 86.

The paper said the incident never became public knowledge because Guinness didn't tell police his real name.

ACTIVIST MURDERED

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and gay bookstore owner Leung Wah was found murdered in Shenzhen, China, last November, local papers reported last week.

Hong Kong legislators and human-rights activists are rejecting the Shenzhen police's determination that the killing was a simple homicide and are calling for a new inquiry.

"He died mysteriously," said Leung Kwok-hung, head of Hong Kong's April Fifth Action Group.

GAY MARRIAGE BILL INTRODUCED IN SPAIN

The opposition Socialists introduced a bill in Spain's parliament to legalize gay marriage April 18.

Socialist parliamentary spokesman Javier Barrero said the 1978 Spanish constitution does not specify that one's spouse has to be of the opposite sex.

" [ Marriage ] is a right of everyone," he said.

The Netherlands on April 1 became the first nation to let gays marry under the ordinary marriage laws. Belgium has said it will follow suit. Several other European nations have registered-partnership laws for gays, which grant up to 99 percent of the rights of marriage. A few other nations recognize gay couples via common-law marriage statutes.

ILGA TO MEET IN U.S.

The International Lesbian and Gay Association's next world conference is scheduled for Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 in Oakland, Calif.

Attendees at the ILGA Global Gay Summit will "exchange information, build skills, network and strategize to find ways to end global discrimination of all kinds for peoples with same-gender sexual orientation and cross-gender identities," organizers said.

There will be day-long pre-conferences on men's issues, women's issues, religion, and "racism and globalization [ and ] its impact on the GLBT community."

The summit itself will offer tracks on lesbian health, interorganizational cooperation, and issues in developing countries, along with workshops on AIDS, aging, classism and globalization, and transgender issues.

The summit coincides with the East Bay Pride festivities, which will culminate with a Mardi Gras celebration Sept. 2.

To register or to help with scholarships for Third World attendees, visit

www.ilgaoakland2001.org/, phone 1 ( 510 ) 663-3980 or e-mail ilgaoakland2001@aol.com .

ILGA is a federation of more than 500 organizations, associations and individuals from more than 80 nations.

PATRIARCH BLASTS GAYS

The head of Romania's Orthodox church, Patriarch Teoctist, denounced gays in his Easter Sunday message.

"The fact that evil threatens to take over the world, and what is abnormal is increasingly being taken as normal, should be of concern to us all," he said. "Young people should struggle against violence, immorality, sins going against nature, alcoholism and the hell of drugs."

The church has fought plans to decriminalize homosexuality, a move Romania must make in order to achieve membership in the European Union.

Sheriff accountable in Teena's death

The Nebraska Supreme Court has held Sheriff Charles Laux accountable in the 1993 slaying of transgendered man Brandon Teena, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund reports.

The court found that Laux was verbally abusive to Teena and failed to protect him after he reported being raped by two acquaintances. Those acquaintances later tracked Teena down and shot him and several others.

The ruling handed down last week also finds that the trial court was wrong to reduce the damages awarded to Teena's mother, Joann Brandon, and that the sheriff's abusive treatment of Teena was "extreme and outrageous, beyond all possible bounds of decency, and is to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."

For more information on the case, Joann Brandon v. County of Richardson, Nebraska, visit Lambda's Web site at lambdalegal.org .

May finishes term in Army

Openly gay state Rep. Steve May ( R-Ariz. ) finished his term of service in the U.S. Army April 14, ending a long and bitter battle over Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

The Army sought to discharge May under DADT after he came out on the floor of the Arizona House during a discussion of an anti-gay bill. Officials dropped the discharge action in January to let May finish out his Reserve duty.

Of leaving the service, May told the Arizona Republic, "It was tough. I'm never going to wear this uniform again. I'm not going to see my soldiers again."

Before becoming a reservist, May served in the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division ( from 1993-1995 ) as a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Officer.


This article shared 1363 times since Wed Apr 25, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir 2024-03-18
- RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union 2024-03-13
- Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Activists and others urge removal of Oklahoma schools superintendent after Nex Benedict death 2024-02-28
- TULSA, OKLAHOMA—Today more than 350 national, state, and local organizations advocating for equality across the U.S., alongside notable public figures, issued an open letter to Oklahoma legislative leadership urging justice ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University 2024-02-20
- On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


Gay News

As Chicago prepares to host DNC, former delegates reflect on LGBTQ+ inclusion at previous conventions 2024-02-19
- When Mark Ishaug, now the CEO of the mental health advocacy Thresholds, was a delegate at the 1996 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, representing the larger LGBTQ+ community was "critical," he said. The convention, where ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Illinois Poor People's Campaign: National call for moral revival demands action against poverty 2024-02-15
--From a press release - Springfield, IL — The Illinois chapter of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (ILPPC) will convene a critical press conference at the state capitol, alongside 32 other states across the nation on ...


Gay News

Tenn. legislators back bill that lets officials refuse to perform same-sex weddings 2024-02-15
- Defying a national ruling that authorized marriage equality, Tennessee lawmakers approved a measure that would allow public officials to refuse to perform weddings of same-sex couples, The Hill reported. Tennessee's House Bill 878/Senate Bill 596 says ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.