NewsWrap for the week ending April 10, 2004 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #837, distributed 4-12-04) [Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Fenceberry, Rex Wockner, and Greg Gordon] Anchored this week by Cindy Friedman and Rick Watts United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's extension of spousal benefits to the legally recognized partners of some gay and lesbian UN employees came under fire from the UN General Assembly this week. The Secretary-General has the authority to determine personnel practices, but opponents of the move claim that defining "family" should be left to the General Assembly. The benefits were protested by dozens of delegations, including the Vatican, and Islamic and African nations, on the grounds that they offended religious beliefs and threatened families. Ironically, among those complaining that recognizing same-gender couples as families is unacceptable to most nations, were many of the countries which recognize polygamy. Their male citizens who work for the UN can split spousal benefits among up to 4 wives. That recognition of diversity was part of the basis for Annan's extension of benefits, which applies only to employees whose home countries recognize same-gender relationships and even then only if the national delegation to the UN specifically agrees to it. The General Assembly called on Annan to review the policy, which his office had already agreed to do following a similar resolution by a budget committee last week. But it's been suggested that the challenge to the Secretary-General's authority will tend to harden his support of it. In Italy, the status of same-gender couples has advanced in Tuscany. The Regional Council's Statute Commission this week completed two articles of a statute developed in conjunction with gay and lesbian advocacy groups. While honoring marriage, the measure extends recognition to other kinds of domestic partnerships and families. It also makes what it calls "sexual tendencies" a category protected from discrimination, bringing the region into line with European Union standards. The first test is underway for Britain's new laws against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those protections came into force last year as part of a move to incorporate European civil rights laws into Britain's national statutes. What's believed to be the first employment complaint brought under the new protections will also be challenging their exemption for church-related institutions -- an exemption that's already under review by a British court in a lawsuit brought by trade unions. The discrimination complaint comes from an unnamed social worker who says a Catholic charity withdrew a job offer after he disclosed his long-term committed relationship with another man. Gay and lesbian U.S. federal civil servants are protected from employment discrimination, the Office of Special Counsel affirmed in a statement this week. OSC's new head Scott Bloch, reportedly responding to pressure from the Bush administration, said, "It is the policy of this administration that discrimination in the federal workforce on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited." OSC is a semi-autonomous agency which responds to claims of discrimination in civilian federal employment, and it acted against anti-gay bias for more than 20 years. But Bush appointee Bloch had recently deleted all references to sexual orientation protections from the agency's Web site and other materials. He had claimed that his reading of relevant regulations found those employees' off-the-job "conduct" but not their "status" -- as he referred to sexual orientation -- to be protected. But this week Bloch declared that, "OSC has always enforced claims of sexual orientation discrimination based on actual conduct. Based on its review, OSC has concluded that such authority exists in cases other than actual conduct when reasonable grounds exist to infer that those engaging in discriminatory acts on the basis of sexual orientation have discriminated on the basis of imputed private conduct. Such inferences apply to all claims, including but not limited to, sexual orientation discrimination claims." Last week Democratic Congressmembers demanded action to restore government job rights, and the White House issued a statement that seemed to support them. Some of those Democrats, including open gay Barney Frank of Massachusetts and open lesbian Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, responded to this week's OSC turnaround. Their joint statement expressed pleasure at the reaffirmation of discrimination protections and emphasized the importance of judging government workers solely on their job performance. It went on to urge Bloch to repair the uncertainty he'd created by restoring the references to sexual orientation to the OSC Web site and ensuring that the reaffirmed policy is stated in all appropriate documents. Bloch's own statement indicated that the Web site currently is "consistent with" sexual orientation protections, but he added that OSC "intends to review and revise those materials as necessary to ensure that employees are fully aware of the protections provided." Gay and lesbian organizations which had drawn attention to Bloch's earlier moves and lobbied against them welcomed his reversal. Log Cabin Republicans political director Chris Barron told the "Washington Post" that, "It's unfortunate that in the year 2004 we actually had to spend time debating something that has been clear for 30 years." National Treasury Employees Union president Colleen Kelley said Bloch had "generated confusion and anxiety in the federal workplace for no good reason." In other Internet-related news, Saudi Arabia agreed to unblock two gay Web sites last week. In response to protest by the group Reporters Without Borders, the Saudi government's Internet Services Unit re-examined GayMiddleEast.com and 365Gay.com and wrote that, "Since no pornographic content was found, the ban has been lifted." Other sites which may include nudity, such as Gay.com, remain banned. And the Internet is now the only way left for the more than one thousand members of Singapore's gay and lesbian civil rights advocacy group to meet. Singapore this week denied official registration to the group called People Like Us, and warned of harsh punishment should its activities continue. Spokesperson Alex Au said the group would comply by not holding further meetings. People Like Us -- which had an earlier application rejected in 1997 -- will appeal the latest dismissal to the Home Affairs Ministry. The group is also asking the Registrar of Societies to explain the refusal, whose basis in law is reserved for organizations with purposes that are either unlawful; prejudicial to the public peace, welfare and good order; or contrary to the national interest. Singapore's "gross indecency" law provides for up to 2 years imprisonment for homosexual acts, but is reportedly rarely enforced. Zanzibar's Parliament this week enacted a Government bill to increase sentencing for homosexual acts and to criminalize same-gender marriages. The island in the Indian Ocean has considerable autonomy and independent government despite its status as part of Tanzania, and nearly all of its residents are Muslims. But it's also a tourist destination, and its politicians expressed concern that gay and lesbian marriages were being celebrated in its hotels. Now men who marry there can be imprisoned for up to 25 years, while women who marry there can be imprisoned for up to 7 years. Anyone presiding at those marriages can also be prosecuted and imprisoned. Zanzibar could be kissing some big bucks goodbye as it drops off the list of honeymoon destinations for gays and lesbians. This week "Forbes" magazine estimated that legalizing marriage for same-gender couples now living together in the U.S. would mean another 16.8-billion-dollars for that nation's wedding industry. "Forbes" admits it might take a few years for all of that windfall to be realized, but the industry's already pulling in $70-billion per year. "Forbes" estimate may even be conservative, since it's based on couples counted in the 2000 census. And finally... the prestigious Pulitzer Prize was awarded this week to openly gay U.S. author Doug Wright for his one-man play "I Am My Own Wife," which chronicles the life of the late famed German cross-dresser Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Born Lothar Berfelde, von Mahlsdorf survived the Nazis and the Soviet occupation of East Germany as a self-identified "transvestite". After reunification, she became a media celebrity until her death 2 years ago at the age of 74. It took a decade for Wright to develop the play from more than 500 pages of transcripts of his interviews with von Mahlsdorf. Previously best-known for the Marquis de Sade tale "Quills", Wright shares credit for the evolution of his prize-winning play with 2 people: its director Moises Kaufman -- who coordinated "The Laramie Project" about Matthew Shepard -- and Jeffrey Mays, the lone actor who portrays all of its 40 characters.