Muslim gay group registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The International Initiative for Visibility of Queer Muslims has achieved official registration as a nongovernmental organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The group's members said it is 'the first ever officially recognized queer Muslim society in a predominantly Muslim country — or a country where Muslims are not considered a minority — as well as the only queer faith-based organization in the Balkans.'
The year-old group hopes to establish a faith-based dialogue between sexual, gender and cultural minorities and the rest of society, according to a press release.
It plans to gather 'queer Muslim scholars and activists who will speak out for the oppressed queer Muslim community, contribute to the creation and development of the LGBTIQ movement especially in so called 'Muslim countries,' and represent its interests in the international religious and human rights arena.'
For more information, e-mail ivqm.bih@gmail.com .
Poles protest
antigay crackdown
Activists rallied in several Polish cities Nov. 26-27 in protest against the violent police breakup of the gay pride parade in the city of Poznan on Nov. 19.
A coalition of organizations calling themselves the Solidarity with Poznan National Committee reportedly staged events in Elblag, Gdansk, Krakow, Lodz, Poznan, Rzeszow, Torun and Warsaw, where more than 1,000 protesters turned out.
'The Poznan events—first the cancellation of the March of Equality by Poznan authorities and then the brutal pacification of the peaceful demonstration by the police—have shown that Poland is definitely not a place where law is fully respected,' the committee said.
' [ N ] ot only are citizens deprived of the possibility to express their beliefs and ideas, but the authorities let the fascist groups and the police get away with attacking innocent people. Polish democracy requires resuscitation.'
Poznan Mayor Ryszard Grobelny banned the gay parade based on concerns about 'protection of private property.'
Several dozen gays marched anyhow, and police aggressively arrested some 65 marchers when they responded to orders to halt by sitting down in the street.
Meanwhile, Poland's new antigay prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, sneaked in a side door of London's Chatham House on Nov. 24 to avoid protesters from the gay-rights group OutRage! and the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
Marcinkiewicz was in London to give a lecture.
He recently angered gays by telling Newsweek: 'The family is natural and the state must stand guard over the family. I don't care if someone is a homosexual or not, and even if I found out something like that, I wouldn't judge a person differently than on their actions alone. But if that person tries to infect others with their homosexuality, then the state must intervene in this violation of freedom.'
Amnesty blasts Poland
Amnesty International denounced Poland on Nov. 25 for 'a climate of intolerance ... against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, characterized by the banning of public events organized by the LBGT community, openly homophobic language used by some highly placed politicians, and incitement of homophobic hatred by some right-wing groupings.'
The organization also expressed concern over 'the recent abolition of the government office responsible for promotion of equal treatment for sexual minorities.'
On Nov. 15, the mayor of Poznan, Ryszard Grobelny, banned the city's gay-pride parade due to 'security concerns.' Despite the ban, a few hundred people gathered Nov. 20 for a demonstration. They were harassed by members of the group All Polish Youth, who shouted 'Let's gas the fags' and 'We'll do to you what Hitler did with Jews.'
The police intervened near the end of the march, roughed up several marchers, and arrested and interrogated more than 65, who were later released.
'Amnesty International is concerned that the events in Poznan are not a one-off event, but part of a series of bans on events by the LGBT community,' the organization said.
Warsaw's gay-pride parade also was banned by local officials both this year and last. Mayor Lech Kaczynski, who is now Poland's president, called this year's parade 'sexually obscene.' An improvised march took place on June 10 anyhow, with more than 2,500 participants.
Aussie gays gain access to pension benefits
Australian gay couples will gain the right to claim each other's superannuation ( pension ) benefits, the federal government has announced.
The policy change also extends to elderly siblings who live together and to adult children caring for elderly parents.
In determining if two people had an 'interdependent relationship,' officials will consider the length of the relationship, whether it involved sex, the degree of emotional support, and ownership and use of property, the Australian Associated Press said.
Superannuation is a system in which employers make compulsory contributions on behalf of employees ( currently 9 percent of the salary package ) into funds that are administered by financial institutions and employee/employer groups that invest the money in such things as property development and blue-ribbon stocks. Employees are taxed at a lower rate on the contributions than on other income. At retirement, individuals can opt for a lump-sum payout or a monthly pension. For low-income earners, the government makes matching co-contributions to add to the savings balance.
United Arab Emirates may give arrested gays hormones
Twenty-six men were arrested in the United Arab Emirates in late November at a hotel in the city of Ghantout during what police called a mass homosexual wedding.
They face lashings, five years in jail and possible forced treatment with male hormones.
'There will be no room for homosexual ... acts in the UAE,' Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Mohammed bin Nukhaira Al Dhahiri told the Khaleej Times.
Interior Ministry spokesman Issam Azouri added: 'Because they've put society at risk they will be given the necessary treatment, from male hormone injections to psychological therapies.
'It wasn't just a homosexual act,' he said. 'Now we're dealing with a kind of marriage. There was a ritual involved.'
On Nov. 28, the U.S. State Department denounced the arrests.
'The United States condemns the arrest of a dozen same-sex couples in the United Arab Emirates and a statement by the Interior Ministry spokesman that they will be subjected to government-ordered hormone and psychological treatment,' the department said.
'The arrest of these individuals is part of a string of recent group arrests of homosexuals in the UAE. We call on the government of the United Arab Emirates to immediately stop any ordered hormone and psychological treatment and to comply with the standards of international law.'
After the U.S. statement was released, the head of the Abu Dhabian Ministry of the Interior Public Relations Department, Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Al Hajiri, claimed that spokesman Issam Azouri is not the ministry's official spokesman and that his remarks about 'hormone injections' were 'nothing but a personal analysis of the issue [ that ] does not represent the viewpoint of any of the authorities concerned.'
Assistance: Bill Kelley
