Australian gov't
introduces
partnership bill
Australia's federal government introduced a bill in Parliament on Sept. 4 to extend spousal rights to same-sex de facto couples in areas such as health care, taxation, public benefits, veterans' affairs, workers' compensation and educational assistance.
'This is a long overdue reform which will help make Australia a fairer society,' said Rodney Croome, spokesman for the Australian Coalition for Equality. 'We now urge the government to quickly move on to removing discrimination against same-sex couples and their children in family law, as it promised at the last election.'
Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the bill rewrites 68 Commonwealth laws and affects 19 government departments.
'The changes will make a practical difference to the lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have suffered discrimination for far too long,' he said. 'Importantly, the reforms will ensure children are not discriminated against because of the structure of their family. ... It is time to stop treating people differently under Commonwealth laws or programs because of who they love.'
McClelland added that ending discrimination against gay couples has no impact on heterosexual marriage.
' ( The ) government's policy on marriage ... reflects the widely held view in the community that marriage is between a man and a woman,' he said.
Some opposition parties have denounced the legislation, arguing that it sanctions 'polygamy,' given that some people recognized as being in de facto partnerships also may be in estranged marriages.
'It's a fact of life that in some de facto relationships one partner may still be married, at least on paper, and that unless such de facto relationships have some legislative protection the unmarried partner is legally and financially vulnerable, especially if their de facto relationship breaks down,' Croome commented. 'The government's initiative is about giving equal protection to de facto partners no matter what their personal circumstances, and we strongly urge both the government and the Senate not to cave in to the Opposition's prejudices.'
Pride canceled in Wales
Pride was canceled in Cardiff, Wales, Sept. 6 because the field in which it was to be held was flooded out by rain.
Organizer Haydn Price told the Wales Echo that the waterlogged turf made the site dangerous to health and safety.
Some events reportedly were relocated to a street in the downtown area.
Bosnian pride festival
provokes opposition
Posters advocating 'Death to Gays' appeared around Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in early September, in advance of the nation's planned first gay pride activities scheduled to begin Sept. 24.
The five days of events, which will coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, have been denounced by some imams and politicians, who called them immoral and contrary to the teachings of the Quran.
The posters and anti-gay statements were condemned by local officials of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who said politicians should stress that discrimination and promotion of violence against gays is illegal.
'It is unjustifiable that such intolerance has been met by silence from public officials and the government as a whole,' said spokesperson Mersiha Causevic-Podzic.
Berlin gay Holocaust
memorial vandalized
Berlin's new memorial commemorating the tens of thousands of homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis was damaged by vandals Aug. 16.
The large, gray rectangular block—11.8 feet ( 3.6 meters ) tall and 6.2 feet ( 1.9 meters ) wide—is breached only by a small window on one side through which visitors can view a 90-second black-and-white art film of two men kissing.
The vandals smashed the window.
The following day, openly gay Mayor Klaus Wowereit joined a demonstration at the site, saying: 'An attack against this memorial is clearly directed against homosexuals—that can be said without waiting for further police investigations. We must show our condemnation of this act of intolerance and homophobia.'
Ironically, the $942,000 box—designed by the Danish-Norwegian duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset and paid for by the federal government—is accompanied by a plaque that reads, 'A simple kiss could land you in trouble.'
'In many parts of the world people are still persecuted because of their sexual identity, homosexual love is a criminal offense and a kiss can spell danger,' it says.
The memorial, unveiled May 27, sits in the Tiergarten park, half a block from the Brandenburg Gate across from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Some 54,000 homosexuals were arrested by the Nazis and 7,000 were exterminated.
Lesbians jailed in Dubai
A Lebanese woman and a Bulgarian woman caught making out on a beach in Dubai were jailed for a month Aug. 31 after the Dubai Court of Appeal upheld a lower-court ruling.
The women were charged with committing indecent acts in public for kissing and fondling each other on Al-Mamzar beach.
When released from jail, the women will be deported, said the 7Days newspaper.
Italian gay cops,
troops form organization
Gay military members and police officers in Italy have formed an organization called Polis Aperta to confront 'creeping discrimination,' group leader Nicola Cicchitti told the ANSA news agency.
The group will meet officially for the first time Sept. 26 in Bologna.
About 200 people have joined so far—from the state, tax and traffic police; the armed forces; and the paramilitary Carabinieri corps.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
