NewsWrap
for the week ending May 21, 2005
(As broadcast on This Way Out program #895, distributed 5-23-05)
[Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Rex Wockner, and 
Greg Gordon]


Reported this week by Jon Beaupré and Cindy Friedman


  May 17th was the first International Day Against Homophobia -- or IDAHO -- 
observed with actions in more than 40 countries on six continents intended to 
raise awareness of the problem and its impact.  IDAHO was the brainchild of 
French activist Louis-Georges Tin and was promulgated by ILGA, the International 
Lesbian and Gay Association.  The date was selected because it's the 
anniversary of the World Health Organization's removal of homosexuality from its list 
of mental disorders in 1990.
IDAHO's culminating activity will be the delivery of a petition to the United 
Nations demanding it take up human rights violations against sexual 
minorities.  You can also sign this petition at www.petitiononline.com/idaho.


  European Parliament President Josep Borrell issued a statement saying, 
"[D]iscrimination on grounds of sexual orientation remains a serious problem 
experienced by millions of people all over the globe and within the [European] 
Union. ... It remains our duty ... to continue the struggle against the moral 
discrimination and physical violence related to sexual orientation.  Such 
injustices must be overcome in all countries by all means."


  London Mayor Ken Livingstone also issued a statement saying, "We all have a 
responsibility to challenge homophobic hatred and violence towards lesbians 
and gay men."
Other U.K. actions included a demonstration outside Saudi Arabia's embassy in 
London protesting that Arab nation's harsh criminal laws against 
homosexuality, with penalties including floggings and executions.


  In Amsterdam, some 1500 people joined what was entitled the "Queer Love and 
Peace Action" including a rally and kiss-in protesting recent anti-gay 
violence, including an attack against the editor of the U.S. lesbigay weekly 
"Washington Blade" and his partner.


  In Stockholm, a cultural event memorializing victims of homophobic violence 
was followed by a rally featuring speeches by a number of politicians.


  The Bulgarian Gay Organization held an Equality Walk in Sofia, marching 
from the National Palace of Culture to the National Assembly, where they 
presented the Speaker of the Parliament with letters calling for addition of the Day 
Against Homophobia to the official national calendar.


  The group Malta Gay Rights Movement also took the occasion to lobby its 
national parliament to take action against homophobia.


  In the Ukraine, the Nash Mir Gay and Lesbian Center spurned a warning from 
the city of Kiev to stage a picket protesting a school's recent expulsion of a 
gay student.  The city's concern for a confrontation with 
counterdemonstrators was justified, as two picketers were attacked, but other picketers and 
reporters intervened to stop the violence.  Nash Mir also hoisted a large rainbow 
flag in the main square of the capital, while related actions were staged in 
Odessa and Nikolaev.
Other IDAHO observances in Europe were held in countries including Albania, 
Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and 
Spain.


  The most widely reported Asian observance was a march and rally in Hong 
Kong, as some 350 people from sixteen organizations demanded equality 
legislation.  Many marchers wore masks to symbolize the stigmatization of homosexual 
orientation.  It was widely described as the first such march held there, although 
in fact a small pride parade had been staged in October.  The spectators 
reportedly numbered fewer than the marchers at less than 300.  The IDAHO date was 
timely, as the Hong Kong government has recently announced plans both to 
establish a Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Unit to promote equal 
opportunities over a two-year trial period, and to complete a long-delayed survey of 
public opinion on the possibility of enacting civil rights protections.  
Reportedly the government has already received more than 20,000 letters opposing an 
anti-discrimination law thanks to a campaign by Christian conservatives, while 
lesbigay groups have gathered only some 3,200 signatures petitioning in favor 
of it.  The government is concerned about that weight of public opinion, and 
the lone lawmaker to appear at this week's rally, Leung Kwok-hung, apologized 
for the absence of others.  Hong Kong's Human Rights Monitor published a report 
identifying the territory's legal bias against lesbigays including the absence 
of protections from discrimination, the lack of recognition of same-gender 
relationships, and an unequal age of consent -- 16 for heterosexuals and 21 for 
gays -- and saying these conditions violate international covenants.  


  Also in Asia, the Sri Lankan lesbigay-trans-and-questioning group Equal 
Ground used the date to release what may be that nation's first publication on 
the human rights of sexual minorities.  Published in three languages, it's 
entitled, "Human, Right?"


  The Philippines' observance featured a showing of films and a panel 
discussion.


  Australian observances included the launch of community service 
announcements by the group Gay and Lesbian Equality West Australia, which also called on 
its state parliament to take action against anti-gay bullying in schools.


  IDAHO observances in Africa included films and lectures staged in Kenya.


  Latin American observances included public forums in Brazil, Mexico and 
Peru.  
In Caracas, Venezuela, the mayor of the Metropolitan District ceremonially 
declared it to be a "territory free of homophobia".
Also in Caracas, the group Revolutionary Gay Movement of Venezuela held a 
colorful rally in a first step towards organizing election campaigns for openly 
lesbigay candidates.  Although the current national administration has been 
progressive, no open gay or lesbian sits in the Venezuelan legislature or has 
ever been elected to it as such -- but 165 seats in the National Assembly are up 
for grabs in December.


  Britain will have its second open gay in the House of Lords.  Named to a 
life peerage late last week was Chris Smith, who in 1984 became the U.K.'s first 
politician to publicly identify himself as a gay man, and went on to become a 
Cabinet member in the first Blair administration.  Last year Smith also made 
public that he has HIV.  Smith left his seat in Parliament this month to chair 
the London Cultural Consortium.  Now he'll join open gay Waheed Alli in the 
Lords but it may be a friendlier place -- the latest round of appointments 
finally make the ruling Labour Party the largest party there.


  Some local elections were held in the U.S. this week with a few victories 
for open gays and lesbians.  Most dramatically, open gay and Log Cabin 
Republicans member Mike Gin won a whopping 61% of the vote and all 12 precincts in a 
runoff for mayor of Redondo Beach, in Southern California.  A conservative 
Republican group in a neighboring county sent out a mailer claiming that Gin's 
campaign contribution from the national gay and lesbian Victory Fund was an 
investment in that insidious "gay agenda", but that seems only to have increased 
support for the two-time City Councilmember.  Gin's opponent, also a Republican, 
denounced the mailer.
In nearby Los Angeles, open gay Bill Rosendahl won a seat on the City Council 
by a solid margin.  Open gay Dan Ryan won a seat on the Portland, Oregon 
School Board.  Winning a seat on the Lincoln School Board earlier this month with 
56% of the vote, Barbara Baier became Nebraska's first-ever openly lesbian or 
gay elected official.


  In Poland, Mayor Lech Kaczynski declared this week he would move to stop 
Warsaw's annual pride march again this year.  The Equality Parade is scheduled 
for June 11.  But in Kaczynski's words, "Organizing a gay parade on that day is 
a joke," because it's also the scheduled unveiling of a monument to World War 
II resistance leader General Stefan Grot-Rowecki.  Kaczynski added that he 
also opposed it for any other day, saying, "I am for tolerance, but am against 
propagating gay orientation."  
Three annual Equality Parades were held before Kaczynski blocked last year's, 
ostensibly fearing clashes between marchers and counter-demonstrators.  About 
500 activists nonetheless gathered outside city hall to call him a homophobe.
Kaczynski is widely expected to be the Law and Justice Party candidate for 
the Polish Presidency in October.


  Canada's national bill to open marriage to same-gender couples is still 
alive -- a confidence vote in the Parliament this week kept the Liberal 
Government in power, thanks to the Speaker breaking a tie.  Had the Government fallen 
on this budget bill, all its incomplete legislation including the marriage bill 
would've died with it.  Helping to turn the tide was an important defection 
from the Opposition Conservative Party by marriage-supportive Member of 
Parliament Belinda Stronach, who was rewarded by her new Liberal Party colleagues 
with the post of Minister of Human Resources.  However, it's quite likely there 
will be more confidence votes challenging the scandal-plagued Government, and 
their outcome is far from certain.
Meanwhile, even if the federal legislation isn't enacted, the court rulings 
that have already legalized same-gender marriages in most of Canada will still 
stand.


  And finally...  May 17th was not only the International Day Against 
Homophobia -- it was the first anniversary of the first gay and lesbian marriages in 
the U.S.  Since a court ruling opened marriage to same-gender couples in 
Massachusetts, more than 6,000 of those couples have tied the knot -- and 
reportedly only three of them have filed for divorce.  Thousands of those spouses 
braved the cold to gather on the steps of the State House in Boston, and for 
smaller celebrations in other cities, to cut wedding cakes, drink champagne and pose 
for photos.  Pundits generally observed that acceptance is growing as 
essentially every town now boasts a same-gender marriage, although the state 
legislature continues to work on a state constitutional amendment to prohibit those 
marriages.  A "Boston Globe" editorial opined, "It strains the imagination to 
see how a year of gay marriage has caused the state any discernible harm.  
Supporters even point to a modest economic boost due to tourism and other local 
spending on gay weddings.  But the reason to toast today's wedding anniversaries 
has little to do with tax revenues and everything to do with the riches that 
come from extending civil rights to every citizen."