NewsWrap for the week ending April 17, 2004 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #838, distributed 4-19-04) [Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Fenceberry, Rex Wockner, and Greg Gordon] Anchored this week by Rick Watts and Cindy Friedman In a surprise move this week, Canada's first openly gay Member of Parliament, Svend Robinson, tearfully announced his withdrawal from politics. {sound/Svend Robinson:} "Clearly at this painful and difficult time, while there are outstanding legal and health issues to be addressed, I must devote my full energy and time to recovery and healing. I will therefore be taking time off for medical leave immediately. ... I am also stepping down at this time as the federal New Democrat candidate for Burnaby-Douglas while these issues remain unresolved." Robinson has represented his Vancouver area district since 1979. He first publicly declared his sexual orientation in 1988 and has been a staunch proponent of equality for gays and lesbians. He's been a high-profile advocate and activist for a number of other liberal causes as well. Robinson addressed a news conference with his partner Max Riveron at his side. He cited months of "severe stress and emotional pain," saying most of the reasons for that were too personal to discuss. He did specify the "emotional consequences" of his brush with death in a 1997 hiking accident. But most of his statement regarded the event that triggered his abrupt retirement from politics: his own act of shoplifting a piece of jewelry a week earlier. He described that act as "totally inexplicable and unthinkable." After a weekend of trying unsuccessfully to contact the jeweller to return the item, he took it to the police and made a full confession. Robinson said he "will not seek to in any way avoid full responsibility for [his] actions" if he is prosecuted. He said he is seeking professional help, has begun therapy and "look[s] forward to full healing and recovery." He concluded, {sound/Svend Robinson:} "As you can imagine this has been a nightmare. I cannot believe that it has happened, but I am human and I have failed. I have felt such a sense of privilege and honor to serve my constituents in Burnaby and indeed people across Canada, and feel an equally powerful sense of sadness that I have let them down... As I deal with this issue, I hope I will have... understanding and support." Some believe it's possible that Robinson will return to politics, perhaps in a matter of weeks if he's not charged. But his withdrawal bodes ill for his bill to make "sexual orientation" a category protected by Canada's hate crimes law, which is currently stalled in the Senate. In the U.S., Iowa's Republican-dominated state Senate this week rejected an openly gay nominee for the State Board of Education -- and it's quite clear that the vote was based on his sexual orientaiton. Iowa's gay-supportive Democratic Governor Tom Vilsack had selected Jonathan Wilson and stood behind the nomination as opposition mounted over the week before the vote. Senate Democrats called Wilson the best-qualified canadidate they'd ever seen. But Republican Senators declared that Wilson would "promote a gay agenda" or even "the gay lifestyle" through the schools, despite Wilson's reassurances to the contrary. On the Senate floor, Republican from Orange City Ken Veenstra called the rejection "the wish of God-fearing people that insist on basing their values on a divine law, rather than a misguided culture that man has created." Only three Republican Senators joined the unanimous Democrats in supporting Wilson, falling well short of the two-thirds majority required to confirm his appointment. It's not Wilson's first experience of homophobia. He had served 12 years on the Des Moines school board, but after publicly identifying himself as a gay man he lost his 1995 campaign for re-election. Openly partnered gay Gene Robinson's consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire continues to rock the global Anglican church. This week Africa's Anglican leaders took the final step in protesting that move by U.S. Episcopalians, declaring they will refuse all financial contributions from the U.S. While no official figures are yet available, it's been estimated that 70% of the funding for Africa's Anglican churches may come from the U.S. The position agreed to this week as the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa met in Nairobi will require the African churches to explore new options to stay afloat. In his role as chair of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa, Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola spoke on behalf of all the continent's 12 Anglican archbishops when he said, "We do not want any money from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America... If we denounce ECUSA, then it is also best that we refuse their money. We will not accept their money because they have decided to redefine Christianity to suit their needs." Akinola went on to issue an ultimatum that the US Episcopalians must either repent within 3 months "or be kicked out of the communion." That ultimatum flaunts the church's nominal global leadership's efforts to bridge the split through the work of a special commission, but Akinola felt the commission would have to follow Africa's lead, since he says that more than half the world's Anglicans live there. The African primates' meeting was also attended by five equally conservative archbishops from Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Before the Episcopalians approved Robinson's elevation, openly gay Church of England Canon Jeffrey John had been slated to become Bishop of Reading. Even though John had long been celibate, the outcry from conservative British Anglicans forced him to withdraw from his appointment. This week it was reported that John will be named Dean of Saint Albans, one of the most senior jobs in the church in the U.K. While this is widely viewed as a consolation prize for John, it seems to be generating the same conservative opposition as his previous nomination. Australia's Family Court has agreed to medical treatments and a revised birth certificate for a transgendered person only 13 years old, it was announced this week. That's believed to be the youngest ever for an Australian court, in a case where there were no physical issues. The case came before the court because the healthy biological female referred to in court proceedings as "Alex" is a ward of the state, his father long dead and his mother long estranged. The treatment was sought because Alex, already formally diagnosed with gender identity disorder, was becoming suicidal. Having always identified and presented as male, Alex was particularly disgusted by his menstruation. Although even with the judgment Alex cannot choose sex reassignment surgery before age 18, the court did allow him to immediately begin treatment with female hormones that will suppress menstruation. Those hormones are not expected to make permanent physical changes. But at 16, Alex will be allowed to begin testosterone treatment, which will create some irreversible effects. Meanwhile, the new identity card has allowed Alex to enroll in school as a male. The judge did not so much view Alex as able to make the choice for medical care, but rather found extensive expert testimony to be in accord with Alex' own wishes. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights this week agreed to delay until next year consideration of a resolution recognizing the human rights of sexual minorities. That small move was greeted with relief by some activists, who had feared the resolution would be either defeated outright or dropped from the agenda altogether. Brazil had sponsored the resolution, already stalled from the 2003 meeting, but then withdrew it in the face of severe opposition from the Muslim bloc and the Vatican. Some of the lesbigay and transgender advocates who had attended the meeting in Geneva in unprecedented numbers remained to lobby and educate on the issues. Among other actions, ILGA, the International Lesbian & Gay Association, has so far gathered 45,000 signatures on a petition supporting the resolution. No United Nations resolution has ever recognized sexual orientation discrimination as a violation of human rights -- or even mentioned sexual orientation. And finally... There's a show called "Naked News" in which presenters deliver the usual mainstream headlines while removing their clothing until nude. The version with female anchors can be accessed on TV in North America, while its companion known as "The Daily Male" -- that's m-a-l-e -- is only available online. But after three years, "The Daily Male" has announced it's retooling to include more news of specifically gay interest. Those anchors, a mixed group, declare it's no big deal to them -- just a recognition of what they've long understood to be their predominantly gay male audience.