NewsWrap for the week ending March 20th, 1999 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #573, distributed 3-22-99) [Compiled & written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Brian Nunes, Jason Lin, Martin Rice, Rex Wockner, Chris Ambidge, Greg Gordon & Lucia Chappelle] Anchored by Leo Garcia and Cindy Friedman A bill to establish domestic partnership contracts for same-gender couples has been approved by the cabinet of the Czech Republic. The contracts would give gay and lesbian couples most of the benefits of traditional marriage. The bill will next be considered by the Chamber of Deputies. Its chances for passage there are good, since all the political parties there except the Christian Democrats were involved in drafting the bill. But a similar measure has been rejected by the French Senate. The National Assembly had previously approved the Jospin government's bill to establish the contracts called "PACS," which would have been available to any two cohabiting adults. But the Senate refused to recognize same-gender couples, and instead passed a bill creating contracts solely for heterosexual couples. It's not yet clear how this conflict will be resolved. The Canadian government this week announced its plans to extend spousal pension benefits to the same-gender partners of its gay and lesbian employees. A bill to be introduced in April will cover not only those working in government administration, but also the staff of government corporations, the military, and the Royal CanadianMounted Police. An administrative move by the committee responsible for housekeeping issues in the House of Commons recently extended parental leave benefits to same-gender partners of Commons employees. And the ruling Conservative Party in Alberta, the most conservative Canadian province, will be giving serious consideration to establishing some form registered domestic partnerships. That was one outcome of a day-long caucus Alberta's Tories held this week to discuss a half-dozen gay and lesbian issues. Their one firm and final decision was to invoke the so-called "notwithstanding" clause to block any federal effort to extend legal marriage to same-gender couples. But they also agreed to soften the province's categorical ban on fostering and adoptions by gays and lesbians, at least to the degree that any given case would be decided "in the best interests of the child." One of the 20 largest employers in the U.S., The Limited, Incorporated, will be extending spousal health care benefits to the same-gender partners of its gay and lesbian employees. The program beginning in April will not be available to unmarried heterosexual couples, on the grounds that they have the option of legal marriage. The Limited employs more than 131,000 people in more than 3,600 clothing stores. Britain's remaining overseas territories within a year will have to legalize homosexual acts between consenting adults. Currently, sodomy laws are in place in Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, and most famously in the Cayman Islands, which last year denied docking privileges to a gay cruise. This week Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook presented a White Paper to the House of Commons with plans to extend British citizenship to the residents of the overseas territories. In exchange, the territories will have to bring their laws into compliance with the human rights standards of Britain's international treaties, which include legal gay and lesbian sex. If the territories do not act themselves, Britain will use its power to force the changes, Cook said. A year ago, leaders of the territories claimed that introducing sodomy repeal would be political suicide for them, but this year they seem ready to make the trade for citizenship. The Federation of Kenya Women Lawyers this week seemed to reveal plans to work for sodomy repeal there, but later recanted. The law there currently applies only to sex acts between men, which can be punished with up to 14 years in prison. The women lawyers included reform in a draft of their plans for constitutional revisions. But when group leaders were questioned about the sodomy item later, after Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi expressed his shock, they said it had been sneaked into the document by one of a minority of their members who support it. The almost 200-year-old sodomy law in Louisiana was struck down this week by a trial judge in a civil lawsuit brought by a groupof gay and lesbian activists. If the state chooses to appeal the ruling, the appeal will go directly to the state Supreme Court. There's already a criminal case in the pipeline from a state appeals court decision last month that also found the "crimes against nature" statutes unconstitutional. But several years ago Louisiana's high court declined to hear a criminal case that challenged the law, so activists are grateful to have the civil case as a second vehicle for reform. In the civil case, the state had tried to argue that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue because they had not actually be arrested under the law. But New Orleans Civil District Court Judge Carolyn Gill-Jefferson found that the law made them "unindicted felons." Although the state also argued that the law was important to promote marriage and procreation, the judge found that fell far short of justifying violation of the plaintiffs' right to privacy. New Hampshire's House of Representatives voted by almost 2-to-1 margins this week to repeal the state's bans on adoptions and fostering by gays and lesbians. Repeal is likely to pass in the state Senate as well, and Governor Jeanne Shaheen has promised to sign it. The current law is so strict that even a gay or lesbian blood relative cannot adopt a child whose parents die, and even heterosexuals cannot foster or adopt if a gay or lesbian lives in their home. Meanwhile, the state doesn't have nearly enough foster or adoptive parents to meet the need. New Hampshire has been the only state banning foster parenting by gays and lesbians, and only Florida has banned gay and lesbian adoptions. But the New Hampshire vote is very timely, because this year a half-dozen other states have been considering enacting such bans, four through legislation and two through state agency policy changes. In the Australian state of Victoria, gay and lesbian students are preparing to protest a loss of funding for their clubs on college campuses. The Minister of Education has introduced a bill to end compulsory student activity fees, known as Voluntary Student Union fees. Several campus gay and lesbian groups see this move as the result of a partisan effort by Liberal Party students, who have said they don't want their fees supporting the activities of gay and lesbian or women's groups. The activists say the defunding will end intercampus conferences and awareness events such as pride weeks, as well as hindering ongoing activities of gay and lesbian clubs. The California high school teacher who saw 15 students transferred out of his classes because their parents believed him to be gay, has settled his discrimination lawsuit. Dr. James Merrick had already won a ruling from the California Labor Commission that the Rio Bravo - Greeley Union School District had illegally discriminated on the basis of perceived sexual orientation. With the support of his union and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, he had also filed a lawsuit. Under the settlement, the school district has agreed not to appeal the Labor Commission ruling and to abide by the anti- discrimination laws in the future. It will also make a written apology to Merrick, and include him in a committee that will work to educate district staff about its anti-discrimination policy. Rather than return to the classroom, Merrick will finish the school year in an administrative role as a curriculum specialist, and then retire as he had long planned. He said, "This agreement is a model for forging a community where all schools nurture tolerance and diversity." New York City's Saint Patrick's Day Parade was protested for the ninth consecutive year by ILGO, the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization. Parade organizers have consistently refused to allow ILGO to march as a group with their own banner. This year's peaceful protest involved about 100 people, 17 of whom were arrested for trying to join or stop the main march. In earlier years, arrests sometimes topped 200. Among those arrested was openly lesbian New York City Councilmember Christine Quinn, who was also arrested at smaller Saint Patrick's Day parades in Queens and the Bronx. Also arrested at the Bronx event was openly gay New York state Senator Tom Duane. Also in New York City this week, some 400 people joined a "political funeral" demonstration for Alabama gay-bashing murder victim Billy Jack Gaither. And finally, while Jewish people at this season traditionally say they'll celebrate Passover "next year in Jerusalem," the gays and lesbians already in that city this week celebrated the opening of their new home. The Jerusalem Open House is the first gay and lesbian community center in the often-hostile city, and in fact it's the first building there devoted to gay and lesbian community activities. JOH Chair Jerry Levinson emphasized that, "Every gay and lesbian person in the Jerusalem area will find a safe and welcoming haven at the Center. It will serve lesbian settlers from the occupied territories, gay teenagers from area high schools... Jews from ultra-orthodox neighborhoods... Arabs from East Jerusalem, and persons of every faith -- the JOH will be open to all." In fact the group has reached out even further, and is working with gays and lesbians in Jordan to help them organize in Amman.