NewsWrap for the week ending September 1, 2001 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #701, distributed 09-03-01) [Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Chris Ambidge, Brian Nunes, Jason Lin, Rex Wockner, and Greg Gordon] Anchored by Brian Nunes and Kelli Blanchfield South Africa's Lesbian and Gay Equality Project has filed a class action lawsuit against their government to gain pension rights for surviving same-gender partners of deceased gay and lesbian civil servants. The group turned to the courts only after two years of negotiations failed to win the point. They believe there are about 100,000 partnered gay and lesbian government workers. One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and two government pension funds is Don Lambrecht, who says he was not only denied the pension of his late partner of 38 years but was treated "with great disrespect" in the process. The case could be heard in the Pretoria High Court as early as September 25th. South Africa's 1996 constitution was the first in the world to explicitly require equal treatment for gays and lesbians, and private pension funds there have been required by national law to recognize gay and lesbian partners since 1999. In Canada, there was a victory this week for gay and lesbian co-parents in British Columbia. A provincial Human Rights Tribunal ruled in favor of two Victoria lesbian couples in which the non-biological mothers sought to be registered on the birth certificates of babies their partners bore by artificial insemination. The tribunal noted that the provincial Vital Statistics Agency never made any inquiry into the biological status of men to be listed as fathers. It ruled that by denying the registration, the agency was illegally discriminating on the bases of sex, sexual orientation and family status. Until now, BC gays and lesbians had to legally adopt their partners' children to gain parental status. Although the finding for the lesbian couples was limited to cases in which an anonymous sperm donor was used, the tribunal also ordered the agency to review all of its regulations and act to eliminate any bias against non-biological co-parents. In the Czech Republic, more than 68,000 Catholics have signed a petition opposing a bill to establish legal registered partnerships that would extend a number of marital rights to gay and lesbian couples. Czech bishops believe the partnerships would "confuse" young people wrestling with their sexual identities as well as damage the special status of heterosexual marriage. Religious conservatives have defeated two previous national bills for registered partnerships. A recent poll found 41% of Czechs supported legal recognition of same-gender couples, while 33% opposed them. In the U.S., Washington's state Supreme Court in an 8-to-1 ruling last week upheld Vancouver's extension of spousal health benefits to the partners of the city's gay and lesbian employees. The state high court found that the city policy did not infringe on the state legislature's power to regulate familial relationships or violate a Washington law restricting legal marriage to heterosexual couples, and even recognized the city's need to establish the benefits to stay competitive as an employer. The legal challenge to the benefits was brought on behalf of a Vancouver resident by the Virginia-based Northstar Legal Foundation, an anti-gay group which previously failed in a similar challenge to domestic partner benefits in Broward County, Florida. Northstar's lead attorney Jordan Lorence admitted the Washington high court ruling probably marked an end to such challenges in that state. At least three other Washington cities and one county offer domestic partner benefits, and in the wake of the ruling, more are expected to follow suit. Some 600,000 gay and lesbian couples declared themselves to the U.S. Census last year. Most gay and lesbian activists are convinced this is still a serious undercount, possibly representing less than a third of U.S. same-gender couples. But they were pleased at the census finding that gay and lesbian couples live in more than 99% of the nation's counties, not just in and around a few major cities. The census found nearly equal numbers of lesbian and gay couples. The religious right emphasized that the same-gender couples represented less than 1% of U.S. households in the census. As the census analysis continues, more detailed demographic information about the couples will become available. Also in the U.S., California's official political ethics watchdog has given a rare favorable twist to the lack of marriage rights there for gays and lesbians. While legally married elected officials are required by California's Political Reform Act to abstain from votes on issues that might affect their spouses' incomes, the state's Fair Political Practices Commission decided that rule does not apply to gay and lesbian officials' domestic partners. The question had been put to the commission by openly gay Arvin City Councilmember Robert Brennan, whose partner is in the insurance business. Arvin Mayor Juan Olivares had criticized Brennan's possible conflicts of interest but agreed to stop in light of the ruling. Also in California, a jury this week awarded a whopping $945,000 to a lesbian who claimed sexual orientation discrimination in her firing from the San Jose police force. Former officer Dawn Goodman had experienced anxiety attacks when performing strip searches of suspects, but when she sought guidance from her sergeant, he asked if she was aroused sexually by searching women. He started an internal affairs investigation against her leading to a letter of reprimand for willfully disobeying orders to perform searches -- a charge she denies. She first complained to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and then filed a lawsuit, and claims her ensuing dismissal after 7 years' service was retaliatory. She also charged that her superiors had failed to intervene to stop verbal harassment and rumors by her co-workers. San Jose's city attorney said he'll seek to have the judgment overturned and the case retried. The legislature of the Mexican state of Chiapas has unanimously adopted a new penal code including protections for gays and lesbians. Article 205 punishes "crimes against the dignity of persons, which consists of incitation to hate or violence ... vexation or exclusion of a group of people, negation or restriction of a group of people, and negation or restriction of employment rights" based on sexual orientation and a dozen other protected categories. Of Mexico's 32 states, only Aguascalientes and the Mexico City Federal District prohibit sexual orientation discrimination. Hearings continued in Egypt this week in the unprecedented case of 52 men arrested in May on a gay-inclusive riverboat club. The men, who have been in detention ever since their arrest, could face up to 3 years in prison if convicted of "practicing debauchery with men". From behind bars at the courthouse, one told a reporter that police had used whips to force them to be quiet and to say they were gay. Prosecutors told the court that such "debauchery" constitutes contempt of the Islamic faith, while ten character witnesses described the alleged ringleader in the case as a devout Muslim. One defense attorney said that the prosecution's 900 photos allegedly showing defendants "in indecent positions" actually portray only 5 of the 52 men accused. Another defense attorney claimed to have medical reports proving that 37 of the defendants "are not gay". Defense attorneys continued to ask that the case be transferred out of the national security court where it's being tried -- a court from which there is no appeal. While Egyptian human rights groups have not supported the defendants, representatives from the Belgian, Canadian, Danish, Swiss, and U.S. embassies attended this week's hearings. The next court date is September 5th. Former world heavyweight boxing champ Lennox Lewis came to blows with current champ Hasim Rahman during a televised interview this week promoting their rematch, thinking Rahman had previously said he was gay. "Why did you say I was gay? I'm not gay," the angry Lewis demanded. Rahman responded that he'd said Lewis had been acting "gay" by going to court to ensure he'd be the first challenger Rahman faced after Rahman took Lewis' title with a knockout in South Africa. When Lewis offered to prove his heterosexuality with Rahman's sister, both leaped to their feet and after a few shoves wrestled briefly on the floor. While several major media outlets covered the tussle, none commented on the use of "gay" as a slur. Australia's Sports Ministry this week issued guidelines against homophobic discrimination and harassment both on and off the playing field. Veteran gay activist Rodney Croome welcomed the guidelines, hoping they would end the locker-room legitimization of gay-bashing and increase participation in sports by gay and lesbian youth. But openly gay Australian Democratic Party Senator Brian Greig of West Australia noted that the guidelines include a misleading statement that the laws of the nation and all of the states protect against sexual orientation discrimination -- when in fact there is no such law in his home state or nationally. He called it hypocrisy for the Coalition Government to issue those guidelines while opposing his own party's bill for federal civil rights protections for gays and lesbians. And finally... the governor of the island of Lesbos this week suggested that visiting lesbians should be segregated. The Greek island was the home of the ancient lesbian poet Sappho, and its name is the basis for the word "lesbian". But Governor Dimitris Vounatsos said, "They express themselves publicly in front of children and families on the beach or eating at seaside restaurants. Let's say they can do whatever they like but in a fenced-off area." He further recommended the income realized from lesbian spending be used to develop tourism. Greek gay activist and journalist Grigoris Valianatos responded in a TV interview that, "Gays in Greece no longer belong in the zoo. They are free and enjoy rights. It is Mr. Vounatsos who would be at home in a zoo."