- EURO PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS FREE MOVEMENT OF GAY COUPLES Wockner February 17, 2003
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The European Parliament approved a directive Feb. 11
favoring mutual recognition of same-sex couples and
their families when they relocate among the 15 nations
of the European Union.
The vote was 269 to 225 with 46 abstentions.
"By adopting the principle of mutual recognition to
same-sex partnerships in the context of free movement,
the European Parliament has taken up the core demands
put forward by ILGA-Europe in its advocacy efforts,"
said the International Lesbian & Gay Association's
European branch.
The Parliament's proposal must be approved by the EU's
Council of Ministers.
"If this directive will pass through the council as it
now stands ... it would remove the main obstacles
hindering LGBT citizens from exercising their right of
residence and free movement," said ILGA-Europe
Co-chair Kurt Krickler. "Whilst today, a gay couple
registered in Germany, for instance, is not able to
move to Italy and maintain their status as a legally
recognized couple, the new directive would change
that."
- COLOMBIAN SINGER SUPPORTS CIVIL-UNIONS BILL Wockner February 17, 2003
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Grammy-winning Colombian singer Juanes has come out in
support of Colombia's gay civil-unions bill in an
interview with Tentaciones magazine.
The bill has passed a Senate committee and is expected
to be considered by the full Senate in March.
The interviewer said to Juanes: "I need to ask you a
hard question. What would happen if gay and lesbian
organizations in Colombia ask Juanes to support the
civil-unions petition publicly? Would you do this?"
Juanes replied: "I would support them. Why wouldn't I?
The same way I support other communities, including
mine, I would do the same thing with the gay and
lesbian community. ... I think that every single
person can decide what to do with his or her life. I
think it's great, as long as there is love and respect
between the couple."
The interview appears in the February issue.
Juanes' hits include "Fíjate bien" and "A Dios le
pido."
- S.A. PRISONER WINS HIV SETTLEMENT Wockner February 17, 2003
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A South African man who contracted HIV while
imprisoned from 1993-1994 received $132,500 in an
out-of-court settlement with the Department of
Correctional Services Feb. 12.
The former inmate said he caught HIV by having sex
with other prisoners, which he said he would not have
done if prison officials had warned him of the danger.
South African prisons did not provide inmates with
condoms until 1996. One in five South African adults
is HIV-positive.
- ARREST IN VANCOUVER MURDER Wockner February 17, 2003
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Police in Vancouver, Canada, made an arrest Feb. 12 in
the case of the brutal murder of Aaron Webster in late
2001.
Webster was beaten to death with a baseball bat or
pool cue in a cruising area of Stanley Park, which
abuts Vancouver's gayest neighborhood. Police believe
it was a gay-bashing.
The 19-year-old man who was arrested cannot be named
because he was only 17 at the time of the crime.
Police do not believe the man acted alone and said
they will make more arrests shortly.
- KISS UPSETS TV VIEWERS Wockner February 17, 2003
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The BBC received 400 phone complaints after two men
kissed passionately on the hospital series Casualty
Feb. 8.
An inside source told The Sun it was among the largest
number of complaints the network has ever received.
Many viewers were upset that the kiss aired before 9
p.m. after which British broadcasters are allowed to
screen sexier programs.
- TWO ARRESTED IN CAPE TOWN SLAYINGS Wockner February 17, 2003
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Police in Cape Town, South Africa, arrested two men
Feb. 13 for the murders of nine men at the Sizzlers
gay massage parlor.
News reports had linked the Jan. 20 massacre to gangs
and drug deals, but police said they now believe the
motive was robbery.
The victims were tied up, shot, and had their throats
slit. Six died on the spot and three died later in
hospitals. One man survived. He has been released from
the hospital, after having two bullets removed from
his head, and is staying at a safe house.
Police said both of the arrestees have confessed.
- CANADIAN JOURNALISTS GROUP DISBANDS Wockner February 17, 2003
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Canada's National Lesbian and Gay Journalists
Association (NLGJA) has disbanded, Toronto's Xtra!
reported Feb. 6.
The paper said the eight-year-old organization "had
run out of steam the last couple of years."
The group's remaining funds were donated to the
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.
In the U.S., NLGJA is thriving with more than 1,100
members in 19 chapters. The group's next national
convention is Sept. 11-14 in Los Angeles.
- GAY CANADIANS DEMAND MARRIAGE LICENSES Wockner February 17, 2003
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Several dozen gay couples went to government offices
across Canada on Valentine's Day and demanded marriage
licenses.
The coordinated protests were organized by the
national lobby group Equality for Gays and Lesbians
Everywhere.
"Our love and our relationships are not equally
valued," said EGALE's Richard Chambers, according to
the CBC. "By taking local action in our own hometowns,
we are asking all Canadians to defend our equal right
to celebrate our love by calling on the federal
justice minister to honor our Charter [of Rights and
Freedoms] rights and end marriage discrimination."
No marriage licenses were issued during the protests.
Superior courts in Ontario and Quebec have declared
Canada's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional and
given the federal government two years to open up the
institution. The government has 17 months remaining in
which to act. Hearings are underway in Ottawa,
Canada's capital, to decide whether to appeal the
provincial rulings to the Canadian Supreme Court.
