Sweden legalizes
same-sex marriage
Sweden's Parliament legalized same-sex marriage April 1. Gay couples can begin marrying May 1.
The vote was 261 to 22 with 66 abstentions and absences.
Six of the seven political parties in Parliament supported the decision, with the Christian Democrats the sole holdout.
Sweden has had a registered-partnership law since 1995 that grants registered same-sex couples the rights, benefits and obligations of marriage.
That law no longer will be used, though currently registered couples will have the option of maintaining that status or converting their partnership into a marriage.
Same-sex marriage is also legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Iowa ( starting April 24 ) and Massachusetts.
Zurich gets a
lesbian mayor
Voters in Zurich, Switzerland, elected an openly lesbian mayor March 29.
Corine Mauch, 48, won the seat after her predecessor took an early retirement.
She has agreed to deliver a speech in May at the opening ceremony for EuroPride, which is being held in Zurich this year.
EuroPride spokesman Michael Rüegg called Mauch's election "a real stroke of luck ( that ) none of us really expected."
Other European cities with openly gay mayors include Berlin ( Klaus Wowereit ) , Paris ( Bertrand Delanoë ) and Hamburg ( Ole von Beust ) . Iceland has an openly lesbian prime minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir.
French Senate
OKs foreign unions
France's Senate voted March 25 to recognize foreign same-sex unions.
The measure now moves to the National Assembly.
"We congratulate the French Senate for finally moving forward to solve this unfair situation which is discriminatory on the grounds of nationality as well as a hindrance to freedom of movement within the ( European Union ) ," said Michael Cashman, president of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights.
"We have been approached by many European citizens, especially British, who suffer discrimination because their same-sex partnership is not recognized in France," Cashman said. "One man was forced to sell his house after his partner's death because he could not afford to pay 60 percent inheritance tax. Otherwise this tax is not applicable to same-sex married spouses or couples in a French partnership."
British hotel sued
by gay couple
Gay couple Martyn Hall and Steve Preddy have sued the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion, Cornwall, England, for not letting them stay in the same room.
They seek £5,000 ( US$7,374 ) in compensation from owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull for "direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation."
The hotel openly flouts the Equality Act ( Sexual Orientation ) Regulations 2007, which prohibit such discrimination.
"Double bedded accommodation is not available to unmarried couples," confirms the hotel's Web site. "As Christians we have a deep regard for marriage ( being the union of one man to one woman for life to the exclusion of all others ) ."
Morocco targets
promotion of
homosexuality
According to various news reports, Morocco's government has launched a crackdown on promotion of homosexuality, saying it threatens religious and moral values.
The Interior Ministry said activities that go against such values will be "repressed."
The move apparently is a response to increased media coverage of gay issues, couples and weddings.
The ministry denounced media outlets "that defend ignoble behaviors that constitute a provocation of national public opinion and fail to take account of the moral values and doctrines of our society."
Euro court: No
expedited hearing for
Russian pride cases
The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a request for expedited hearing of several cases stemming from Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov's repeated bans of gay pride marches.
Some of the cases are more than two years old. The court has a huge backlog of cases of all kinds from Russia.
"If no action is taken, the Moscow Pride bans will take five to six years to be overturned by the European Court," said chief pride organizer Nikolai Alekseev. "Whether through the court or via the Committee of Ministers, a solution has to be found in Strasbourg ( at the Council of Europe ) . We are in contact with several diplomacies."
In a similar case from Warsaw, the court issued a ruling within 18 months mandating that city officials let gays march.
"Council of Europe officials write wonderful letters to Russian authorities about the necessity to respect the rights of LGBT people," said Moscow Pride co-organizer Nikolai Baev. "But year after year we see the same violence, the same aggressions and the same breach of human rights."
This year's pride march is scheduled for May 16, the same day the popular, campy Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Moscow. The contest—a high holiday for many European gays—is staged in the country that won it the previous year.
Mayor Luzhkov has called gay parades "satanic" and "weapons of mass destruction," and said he will never allow one to take place in Moscow.
Japan OKs gay
marriages abroad
Japan's Justice Ministry said March 26 that it has begun issuing marriage-eligibility certificates to Japanese citizens who plan to marry someone of the same sex in a foreign country where same-sex marriage is legal.
Japanese citizens are required to obtain the certificate before marrying a foreigner abroad—submitting information about both parties such as name, birthday, sex and nationality.
The latest version of the certificate will confirm that an individual is single and of legal age.
Gay activists said the change also means Japanese gays will be able to bring a foreign spouse to live with them in Japan.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden ( starting May 1 ) and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Iowa ( starting April 24 ) and Massachusetts.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley
