Spain's Queen Sofia in hot water with gays
Spain's Queen Sofía is in hot water with gays after the newspaper El País published excerpts Oct. 29 from an upcoming biography of the queen by journalist Pilar Urbano.
In 'The Queen Up Close' ( 'La Reina muy de cerca' ) , Sofía, 69, is quoted as saying: 'I can understand, accept and respect that there are persons of other sexual tendencies, but should they feel proud to be gay? Should they ride on a parade float and come out in demonstrations? If all of those of us who aren't gay came out in protest we would halt traffic.'
She went on: 'If those persons want to live together, dress up as bride and groom and marry, they could have a right to do so, or not, according to the laws of their country, but they shouldn't call this matrimony, because it isn't. There are many possible names: social contract, union contract.'
Spain is one of six countries where same-sex couples have access to full marriage.
A royal spokesperson complained that the quotations are not 'exactly' accurate.
The State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals demanded that Sofía recant her reported statements.
Portuguese Parliament rejects same-sex marriage
Two draft laws to legalize same-sex marriage were rejected overwhelmingly by the Portuguese Parliament on Oct. 10.
The measures, proposed by the Left Bloc and the Green Party, were opposed by the governing Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party and the People's Party.
The Left Bloc bill also would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt. The Green Party bill would not have. Bloc and Green MPs abstained from voting on each other's bills.
During the vote, gay rights groups staged two 'weddings' in a Parliament stairway, attracting wide media coverage.
The ruling Socialists have said they will not support same-sex marriage until there is a broad national debate on the matter.
'Given that one of the main arguments of the ( Socialists ) to vote against the proposed amendments was that ( same-sex marriage ) was not in ( their ) election program, difficult times in the struggle for equality in access to civil marriage are expected in Portugal,' said the news portal PortugalGay.pt.
A recent public-opinion poll found 42 percent support for same-sex marriage and 53 percent opposition.
Portugal has a de facto partnership law that grants limited rights to unmarried couples who have lived together for more than two years, in areas such as income tax, tenancy and immigration.
Attempt to move Cardinal Newman's remains thwarted
The Roman Catholic Church has been thwarted in its plan to move the remains of influential 19th-century English Cardinal John Henry Newman from his joint grave with his male housemate of 30 years to a church in Birmingham, in preparation for making him a saint.
When the grave was dug up, there was nothing left there but a brass plate, handles and some red tassels. Newman died in 1890.
Gay activists had objected to the move because Newman had written in his will, 'I wish, with all my heart, to be buried in Father Ambrose St. John's grave—and I give this as my last, my imperative will.'
The activists had suggested the decision to move Newman's remains was based on a desire to obscure evidence of his rumored homosexuality prior to canonization.
When St. John died, Newman wrote, 'I have ever thought no bereavement was equal to that of a husband's or a wife's, but I feel it difficult to believe that any can be greater, or anyone's sorrow greater, than mine.'
Swedish courts rule in three lesbian cases
Swedish courts recently ruled on three cases involving lesbians.
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal of a lower-court decision that awarded $2,576 in damages to a woman to whom a kennel refused to sell a dog because the woman is a lesbian.
The Supreme Court also denied an appeal in the case of two lesbian couples who felt injured when a member of a local advisory board on health and welfare issues filed a dissenting opinion objecting to their adopting children. A lower court had agreed that the Discrimination Prohibition ( Goods and Services ) Act covers dissenting opinions by members of local government boards, but said that in the lesbians' cases, the opinion did not carry the detrimental effects necessary to amount to 'less favorable treatment.' The adoptions were granted.
In the third case, the District Court of Uppsala ordered the County Council to pay $6,440 to a lesbian who was denied assisted donor insemination by county health authorities. One partner in a lesbian couple had undergone three unsuccessful attempts at insemination, then was refused further attempts because she had turned 40, the county's cutoff age. The couple then asked that the other, younger partner receive the three additional allowed attempts, but the authorities refused, saying only one woman in a lesbian relationship could be treated at county expense.
The county argued that its decision amounted to treating lesbian and straight couples the same, since only one person in a straight partnership is permitted to receive assisted insemination. The court disagreed, saying the policy amounted to direct discrimination based on sexual orientation, and awarded the second woman damages. The County Council may appeal the decision.
Vancouver to host 2011 Outgames
Vancouver has been selected to host the 2011 North American Continental Outgames, one of the regional gay sports olympics that came into existence in 2006 when the Gay Games had a falling-out with planned host city Montreal.
The Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association of North America made the announcement Oct. 26.
Up to 5,000 athletes are expected to attend, spending around $12 million, in addition to money spent by non-athlete attendees.
GLISA sanctions a World Outgames every four years and smaller Continental Outgames in between the world events. The first world games were in Montreal in 2006 and the second games will be in Copenhagen in 2009. The first North American Continental Outgames were in Calgary in 2007 and the first Pacific Continental Outgames were held this year in Melbourne, Australia.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
