EURO SCOUTS WELCOME GAYS
Delegates to the recent European Conference of Scouts and Guides passed a resolution opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation-- a response to the Boy Scouts of America's gay ban.
The 400 delegates approved the resolution overwhelmingly. Representatives from Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Turkey opposed it.
The meeting was held in Prague, in The Czech Republic.
TOKYO GAYS PARTY
About 4,000 people gathered in Tokyo's Toyogi Park Aug. 26 for a gay-pride parade, the largest such event in Japan's history.
Organizers said they hoped to improve the image of GLBT people in Japanese society.
An outdoor party preceded the march, according to ananova.com .
WIDESPREAD DISCRIMINATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND
A new report from Northern Ireland's Human Rights Commission says gays, lesbians and bisexuals face widespread discrimination in areas such as employment, health care, family life and criminal law.
The report, "Enhancing the Rights of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People in Northern Ireland," was produced by the University of Ulster.
The document recommends creation of a legal advice center for the gay community, a domestic-partnership registration law, and a gay-issues task force within the Northern Ireland Assembly.
VICTORY FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA LESBIANS
The Human Rights Tribunal in the Canadian province of British Columbia Aug. 29 awarded lesbian couples the right to register as parents on their child's birth certificate when the father is an anonymous sperm donor.
Previously, a non-biological mother had to adopt her partner's child before the Vital Statistics Agency would recognize her as a parent.
The tribunal said the agency had discriminated against lesbian couples based on sex, sexual orientation and family status.
NO FEMALE STATUS FOR MALAYSIAN TRANS
Transsexualism is against Islamic teachings and men who have sex-change operations will not be recognized as female, Malaysia's government declared July 23.
Approximately 50,000 Malaysians have had sexual-reassignment surgery, according to The Star, a Kuala Lumpur daily.
Officials said transsexuals will be offered counseling instead.
PORTUGUESE CITY CELEBRATES PRIDE
Leiria, Portugal, saw its first gay-pride celebration Aug. 11.
More than 250 people partied in the street in front of the gay bar Dorius, which helped organize the event.
BELARUSSIAN GAYS PROTEST EXCLUSION
Members of the Belarus Lambda League for Freedom of Gays and Lesbians protested their exclusion from the first Belarussian Youth Congress July 29 by picketing inside the conference hall in Minsk. They were joined by members of the Belarussian Anarchy Party, four of whom were in drag.
The protesters displayed a rainbow flag and passed out copies of the league's magazine.
ILGA BANNED FROM RACISM CONFERENCE
The International Lesbian and Gay Association has been denied observer status at the United Nations' World Conference Against Racism which began Aug. 31 in Durban, South Africa.
A vote on the matter at a July 30 organizing session in Geneva resulted in a 43-43 tie with 27 abstentions. Muslim nations led the anti-ILGA charge.
Sweden's representative was not present for the vote, which would have tipped the result in ILGA's favor.
The countries that supported ILGA's involvement are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Those that opposed ILGA are Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brunei, China, North Korea, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Vietnam.
The nations that declined to cast a vote are Argentina, Armenia, Barbados, Bhutan, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( formerly Zaire ) , Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Mauritius, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.
Eighty other nations were not present for the vote.
SIBERIAN GIRLS WANT TO BE BOYS
One percent of girls aged 11 to 16 in the Kuzbass region of Siberia have asked doctors for a sex-change operation, Pravda and the local Vyorsty newspaper reported July 30.
The newspaper blamed the region's macho culture for the unusually high statistic.
MALAYSIAN POLICE RAID CLUB
Police raided a gay club in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, July 29, the Straits Times reported. They found men having sex and arrested 35 of them, including six employees.
The customers were released after their statements were taken. The employees will be charged with violating entertainment regulations.
Petaling Jaya is an upper-middle-class suburb of Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.
SERBS: 'GAYS SICK'
Seventy-six percent of Serbs say gays are "sick" and 48 percent would refuse to have contact with a homosexual, a Factor poll published July 9 in the Politika newspaper found.
About 1,500 people were surveyed. Fifty-four percent said gays need medical treatment, 14.5 percent said homosexuality should be illegal and 10 percent said gays should be locked up. Eighty-seven percent said they do not know any homosexuals.
