LONDON COUPLES REGISTER
Gay couples began registering their relationships in London Sept. 5 under Mayor Ken Livingstone's gay partnership procedure.
Ian Burford, 68, and Alexander Cannell, 62, who have been together for 38 years, were first in line for the 10-minute ceremony at the Westminster headquarters of the Greater London Authority.
"We have shared everything in life and own our home, but the problem arises when one goes before the other [ in death ] ," the two men said in a statement. "We would not have the same rights as a married couple and would be taxed heavily, seriously affecting the security of the surviving partner."
Second up were Linda Wilkson, 49, and Carol Budd, 48. "This is not a wedding," they said. "We are not doing this to ape heterosexual marriage. We are doing this because we believe it is another nail in the coffin of the prejudice that denies us our fundamental rights as human beings and makes us second class citizens in our own country."
Registration confers no actual rights but Livingstone has said he hopes it will be helpful nonetheless in resolving disputes over property, wills and succession rights.
"Although our register is only a small step on the road to equality, I would like it to act as a trigger for real change," he said.
The ceremonies are offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays and cost about $123. Up to 25 guests are permitted.
Shortly after the London registry became available, Manchester, England, announced that it will launch its own registry before Christmas.
Nations that grant many, most or all marriage rights to same-sex couples include Canada, Denmark ( and Greenland ) , France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, The Netherlands ( the only nation where gay couples, including foreign residents, can marry under the ordinary marriage laws ) , Norway, Portugal, Sweden and, in the United States, the state of Vermont.
EU CANDIDATE NATIONS PRESSURED
The European Parliament and the European Commission Sept. 5 again told Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary and Romania to repeal anti-gay laws if they want to join the European Union.
The parliament, in resolutions on the countries' membership applications, insisted they "eliminate provisions in the penal code that discriminate against homosexual men and lesbian women."
Addressing the parliament, EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenther Verheugen, added: "I want to make it crystal clear that the [ European ] Commission will continue to press in the enlargement negotiations for full observance of human rights and the rights of minorities. This includes a ban on any discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation or religious conviction."
The nations have unequal age-of-consent laws, a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as other statutes that discriminate based on sexual orientation.
"The united front shown by the European Parliament and the Commission should leave the governments and parliaments of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary and Romania in no doubt that this issue will not just be swept under the carpet in the accession negotiations," said Tatjana Greif of the International Lesbian & Gay Association.
CZECHS SIGN
ANTI-GAY PETITION
Some 68,000 Czech Catholics have signed a petition against the nation's proposed gay registered-partnership law, Agence France-Presse reported.
The signatures will be presented to the national assembly as it begins debate on the legislation later this month.
Gay leader Jiri Hromada denounced the petition as hysterical.
Forty-one percent of Czechs support legal recognition of gay couples and 33 percent oppose it, one recent poll found.
SOUTH AFRICANS DEMAND
PENSION RIGHTS
South Africa's Lesbian and Gay Equality Project ( LGEP ) is suing Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and the state pension funds on behalf of gays who have been denied a deceased partner's pension.
The case could affect up to 100,000 gay/lesbian members of the Government Employees Pension Fund and the Associated Institutions Pension Fund.
"Their lack of change smacks of typical old-guard disrespect for the law, for the constitution and for the people," said LGEP spokesman Evert Knoesen.
When apartheid ended, South Africa became the first country to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation via its constitution.
WALES GAYS GET VOICE IN ASSEMBLY
Wales' minister for finance, local government and communities, Edwina Hart, launched the Wales Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Forum Aug. 30 to advise the National Assembly, Wales' legislative body.
She committed $38,000 of Assembly money to the project.
"The opportunity to have a meaningful communication process between the communities and the National Assembly is essential if the Assembly is to carry out its obligation of meeting the needs and listening to the aspirations of all the citizens of Wales," Hart said.
Part of the United Kingdom, Wales has an estimated 250,000 gay and lesbian residents.
AIDS TOPS THAI DEATH STATS
AIDS is now Thailand's number one cause of death, accounting for 16 percent of deaths, the Health ministry said Aug. 31. Other leading causes are heart disease, cancer and accidents.
INTERNET TV LAUNCHES IN MEXICO
Mexico City now has a gay TV program on the Internet.
La Fractura "shows homosexuality like it is, casting off the solemnity, the blame and the shame that generally is associated with the topic, especially in the media," the producers said in a press release.
The program airs live on the "Me Vale" channel at www.zoom.tv Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Mexico City time.
The latest editions of Rex Wockner's "International News," "Quote Unquote," and "Wockner Wire" can be found at members.aol.com/wockner/rexwockner.html . The site also provides links to Wockner's archives and additional information about his work in the gay press.