NewsWrap for the week ending July 16, 2005 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #903, distributed 7-18-05) [Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Rex Wockner, Martin Rice, and Greg Gordon] Reported this week by Jon Beaupré and Cindy Friedman Spanish gays and lesbians contracted legal marriages for the first time this week. The first to marry was a couple of thirty years' standing, Emilio Menendez Menendez and Carlos Baturin German. The happy couple exchanged rings before television cameras, and reporters may have outnumbered their family and friends. They hadn't actually planned to be the first -- that just reflected the schedule of the Madrid suburb where they married. The town of Tres Cantos is run by the Partido Popular, which vigorously opposed marriage equality. It's not known if the town's PP mayor actually refused to perform the civil ceremony. City Councilmember José Luis Martinez of the gay-supportive United Left coalition presided instead. He phrased the closing pronouncement, "I declare you -- united in matrimony," instead of the traditional "husband and wife." The men also dispensed with the traditional kiss, hugging each other instead. Another political presence was activist Pedro Zerolo, who serves as Spain's top official for social issues for the ruling Socialist Party. He called the controversial new marriage legislation "a triumph of common sense and the state of the law." Newlywed Menendez said afterwards, "Today we are even more a family." Soon to become "even more a family" is a Brazilian gay male couple who this week won a first-in-the-nation court ruling allowing them to adopt a child together. Vasco Pereira da Gama and Dorival Pereira de Carvalho, a couple of 13 years' standing who live in Cantanduva in the state of Sao Paulo, are hoping to adopt a two-to-four-year-old girl. Judge Julio Cesar Spoladore Domingos' decision -- which is final -- found that since Brazil's Psychology Council has declared that homosexuality is "not a disease, a disturbance or a perversion," there is no valid reason to deny joint adoptions to same-gender couples. Da Gama and de Carvalho had already been vetted by a psychologist, social workers and a public prosecutor. Brazil already allows individual gays and lesbians to adopt children. But only one gay or lesbian parent will be able to sign a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate in Canada even if there's a legal civil marriage. That's what a spokesperson for the national Conference of Catholic Bishops told a Senate committee this week, adding that the church will refuse baptism altogether should both parents insist on being acknowledged. This was greatly disturbing to at least one Catholic Senator, but the committee went on to decide it will report back to the full Senate in the coming week with a recommendation to enact the Government's bill for marriage equality without amendments. A final floor vote in favor is expected to follow quickly. The final step of royal assent from the UK's Queen Elizabeth could come on the day of that vote, although some opponents of marriage equality are writing to her hoping for a veto. But Alberta's staunchly conservative Premier Ralph Klein has acknowledged what's apparently inevitable. Announcing the province will not pursue a futile legal challenge to the soon-to-be enacted marriage law, he said this week, "We will proceed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, much to our chagrin, following proclamation of the federal Civil Marriage Act. We will develop legislative options to ensure the rights of religious officials and those Albertans who hold social or cultural beliefs or values, whether religious or non-religious. ... [so that no one will] be required to advocate promote or teach about marriage in a way that conflicts with their beliefs." Although the national Government believes it's already adequately ensured religious freedom in the federal bill, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler encouraged other provinces and territories to enact their own such protections. The province of Manitoba, by contrast, has required all of its marriage commissioners to marry same-gender couples, and that's led a dozen of them to quit. Saskatchewan has imposed the same requirement, and it was reported this week that the provincial Human Rights Commission has summoned one dissenting marriage commissioner in Regina to answer to a discrimination complaint. A left-wing opposition party in Greece this week declared its support for marriage equality. Synaspismos Coalition leader Alekos Alavanos told a group of lesbigay activists his party was committed to end all forms of discrimination including the exclusion of same-gender couples from marriage. Although the National Human Rights Committee said earlier this year that the nation should create registered domestic partnerships, the current Greek Government has not acted on that advice, and is known to oppose opening marriage to gay and lesbian couples. In the U.S., New Paltz, New York's Mayor Jason West will not be prosecuted for "solemnizing" the marriages of 2 dozen gay and lesbian couples last year. Ulster County District Attorney Don Williams announced this week that he's dropped the misdemeanor charges of violating the state domestic relations law with each marriage, adding that, "To proceed further would serve no practical purpose. Any additional action would serve only to advance personal agendas in a highly volatile manner." He clarified that meant he feared the trial would "be exploited by those with a greater interest in publicity than the public good" and "be filled with rhetoric and hyperbole" as it becomes a "showcase" for marriage equality supporters. Previously a New Paltz court had dismissed the charges only to have an Ulster County court reinstate them, a decision the top state court declined to review. West could have faced fines and a year behind bars. His attorney called the DA's decision a "total and complete vindication." West himself said, "There doesn't seem to be any reason why [Williams] would not have made the same decision a year and a half ago, except for now he didn't think he would win." West is still prohibited by a state court order from marrying any more same-gender couples until such time as New York may legally license them. New York's state legislature did take one step towards recognizing unmarried couples at the end of June, passing a bill creating a "death care proxy". By filling out a form, a New Yorker can specify an individual to be responsible for disposition of their remains. That individual can be a domestic partner regardless of gender, and the proxy will give that person standing equal to a surviving legal spouse. Almost 80% of the state Assembly approved the bill, while the Senate supported it unanimously. In other U.S. legislative news, Hawai'i's Republican Governor Linda Lingle this week vetoed protections from discrimination based on gender identity and expression in employment, but allowed to pass into law without her signature a bill extending protections from discrimination based on both gender identity and sexual orientation in housing. Although support for the job rights bill was strong enough that the legislature might have overridden the governor's veto, the legislative session ended without such a vote being taken. Lingle complained in her veto message about the job bill's definition of gender identity and expression, saying it would create problems for businesses -- but the same language appeared not only in this year's housing bill but also in the hate crimes bill she signed into law two years ago. Two hate crimes bills were signed into law by Illinois' Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich at the end of June, both including "sexual orientation" among the victim categories. One makes it a civil rights violation either to discriminate in housing transactions or to use intimidation to prevent a housing transaction. The other creates a hate crime for harassment by means of electronic communication. The United Church of Christ's groundbreaking resolution supporting marriage equality appears to have sparked a hate crime against one of its churches in Virginia this week. Graffiti including "UCC Sinners" and "Gays Lovers" were spray-painted on the outside walls and a fire was set in the sanctuary of the Saint John's Reformed UCC in Middlebrook. Because it's an attack on a church, federal agents are joining with local officials in the investigation, even though U.S. federal law does not recognize anti-gay attacks as hate crimes. Also in response to UCC's marriage resolution, Kenya's National Council of Churches will be meeting to decide if it will continue to accept funds from the U.S. denomination's charitable arm, Global Ministries. That money has been supporting at least 25 congregations and 15 related institutions in Kenya. Pride celebrations continue. In Hungary this week, more than a thousand people marched in the 10th annual parade in Budapest. Heavy police protection ensured there was no interference, although a score of counterdemonstrators wore T-shirts reading, "Child Protection". In Venezuela last week, Caracas had its biggest pride parade ever, with more than three thousand marchers. Their leading demands were legal recognition for same-gender couples and an end to police abuse. In Italy this week, Rome's pride parade attracted a crowd of more than 50,000, not all of them supportive. The march's lead banner read, "2000 years of discrimination - Get the church out of the state." A number of marchers and at least one float specifically called for legal recognition of same-gender couples, and some praised Spain's enactment of marriage equality. At the halfway point, the music, whistles and shouting all stopped for a minute of silence in recognition of last week's bombings in London. Some marchers also wore black armbands for London's losses. And finally... that London police spokesperson you may have seen on TV discussing the investigation of the bombings is an openly gay man -- Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Brian Paddick. His often-controversial career spans thirty years. As number-two in populous London's Metropolitan Police hierarchy, some consider him the highest ranking openly gay male police officer in the world.