Jamaican Gay Leader Murdered
Jamaica's best-known gay activist was murdered in Kingston June 9. Brian Williamson, 59, was found lying in a pool of blood in his bedroom with multiple knife wounds.
'The condition of his body ... and his visibility as a gay man lead us to suspect this is a hate-related crime,' the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays said in a statement.
Police say the murder was more likely related to robbery, pointing out that Williamson's room was ransacked and his safe was missing. They are looking for two men who were seen at the residence shortly before the crime.
Williamson's roommate, Desmond Chambers, said of one of the suspects: 'I have seen him here about six times [and] anything him want, Brian give him. Brian give him money, Brian give him food and help him to purchase [newspaper] to sell on the road.'
The head of Amnesty International USA's gay-rights program, Michael Heflin, commented, 'Brian Williamson was a courageous individual prepared to speak out for one of the most marginalized and persecuted communities in Jamaica: the gay and lesbian community.'
Jamaica is considered one of the world's most homophobic nations, a fact that was noted in the report on Williamson's murder in the Jamaica Observer daily newspaper.
'Jamaica has an international reputation for being highly intolerant of homosexuals and has, in the past, fallen under pressure from the international community, especially Britain,' the paper said. 'Some local artistes have been banned from performing in other countries because of their strong anti-homosexual lyrics.'
Germany to increase gay partners' rights
Germany's government has proposed legislation to equalize the rights of registered same-sex partners with those of married people, Deutsche Welle reported June 5.
Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries said the first of two bills will go to the Bundestag, the lower house of Parliament, this summer and will be crafted to not require consent from the Bundesrat, the upper house, where it probably would be rejected.
'Lesbian and gay couples are a social reality in Germany,' Zypries told the daily Berliner Zeitung. 'That is why we also want to grant them, to the extent it complies with the constitution and its unique protections of marriage and family, the same rights as married couples.'
Registered same-sex couples presently lack spousal rights and obligations in such areas as adoption, pensions, inheritance, taxation, financial support, court testimony and social-welfare benefits.
A second piece of legislation that does require Bundesrat approval is needed to address some of these areas. That bill will be introduced in the autumn, Zypries said.
Germany's partnership law came into force three years ago but only about 5,000 same-sex couples have taken advantage of it.
'The problem with the same-sex life partnerships is that it brings only obligations and virtually no rights. It has not been popular,' activist Michael Schmidt told Britain's The Guardian.
Canadian P.M.:
Gay marriage is
here to stay
Canada will not reverse course on same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Paul Martin said June 4.
Over the past year, the highest courts in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec forced legalization of same-sex marriage and thousands of Canadian and foreign gay couples have tied the knot.
'Three of the highest courts in the land have said that discrimination on the grounds of sex in terms of the definition of marriage is against the Charter of Rights,' Martin said. 'It is absolutely a question of human rights, and under those circumstances, there is no way that anybody should be allowed to discriminate or prevent same-sex marriage.'
The federal Parliament is expected to pass legislation within the next year to open up marriage in the rest of the nation.
Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.S. state of Massachusetts also let gay couples marry.
