“NewsWrap" for the week ending September 13, 2008 (As broadcast on "This Way Out" program #1,068, distributed 9-15-08) [Written by Greg Gordon, with thanks to Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley] Reported this week by Leigh Moore and Chris Wilson An amendment to legislation in the Cayman Islands defining marriage as between a man and a woman was approved this week by the British territory's Legislative Assembly. Civil partnerships, giving same-gender couples most of the rights of marriage, took effect in the U.K. in late 2005, but the legislation did not extend to any of Britain’s 14 territories, which include Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and the Caymans. None of them have moved to grant legal recognition to same-gender couples. Cayman opposition parties are calling for the law to be extended to ban civil partnerships. They fear the U.K. or the European Union may impose them at some point in the future. But Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts told the “Caymanian Compass” newspaper that "If we were to define civil unions it would mean we would condone them, and accept them and allow them,” he said, “and I’m saying otherwise.” Lesbigay issues have had a higher profile in the Caymans since May, when a U.S. tourist vacationing at the Royal Palms resort was detained by an off-duty police officer for kissing his boyfriend. He was taken to the police station, reportedly after other customers complained. The man was later released without charge, and the Director of Tourism sent a formal apology to him. But, Tibbetts said, while the Caymans welcome all tourists, “The basis of this bill is not financial calculations. We don’t set our family values based on how much money they make for us.” Homosexual acts between consenting adults were decriminalized in the Caymans by a U.K. Order in Council in December 2000. The U.K. and the Caymans are due to begin talks about constitutional reform later this month. A Lebanese woman and her Bulgarian partner, who were arrested when others complained about their making out on a beach in Dubai, were jailed for a month in early September after the Dubai Court of Appeal upheld a lower-court ruling. They were convicted of committing indecent acts in public for kissing and fondling each other on Al-Mamzar beach. The local “7 Days” newspaper said that the women will be deported after they serve their jail terms, and noted that this was the first case of its kind in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of 7 city-states that includes Dubai. While it’s a popular destination for tourists and a majoriity of its 5.6 million residents are foreigners Dubai is governed bby Islamic law, and homosexual acts are a criminal offense. At least 40 men were arrested there in July for what Dubai’s police chief called “not respect[ing] social values and behav[ing ] like the opposite sex." Posters advocating "Death to Gays" appeared around Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina in early September in advance of the nation's first lesbigay Pride activities. Three days of events are scheduled to begin on September 24th. They happen to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and have been angrily denounced by some imams and politicians as immoral and contrary to the teachings of the Quran. Sarajevo is at least 85 percent Muslim. The posters were condemned by local human rights activists. One of Sarajevo's leading intellectuals, law professor Zdravko Grebo, told the “Associated Press” that the organizers should have taken Muslim concerns into consideration. "Why this finger right in the eye?” he asked. “However,” he said, “it's not a reason to cancel it." Bosnia-Herzegovina is not in the European Union, although it’s seeking membership. But the E.U. has called sexual orientation-based discrimination in the country “widespread.” A cabaret featuring performers from London, Amsterdam and Berlin is scheduled to run throughout 5 days of Pride events in the coming week in Serbia’s capital of Belgrade, according to a report by “pinknews.com”. Organizers are only using a Web site to communicate details about each event “for safety reasons,” an indication of the climate for the country’s LGBT people. A large group of neo-fascists and religious fundam entalists violently attacked marchers during Belgrade’s first-ever Pride parade in 2001. A subsequent event was cancelled because organizers couldn’t guarantee participants’ safety. This year’s Pride Web site says “we have a new concept – we refused to spend time on worries about violence that might happen and hiring private security or police.” Serbia, which is not in the European Union, is one of the continent’s least accepting of LGBT people, according to a European Commission report on human rights published last year. But annual LGBT Pride festivities kicked off in Taiwan’s capital city of Taipei this week, and will culminate with Asia’s largest Pride march on September 27th. Last year’s parade drew about 15,000 people, and organizers are expecting up to 20,000 this year. About 500 people marched in Taipei’s first Pride parade in 2002. Among several Pride-related events, an online essay contest is being held with the title of “My Gay Friend.” Government officials will select 5 winning entries and include them in a booklet on lesbigay life in Taipei, which the city plans to publish annually. Compared to most of its Asian neighbors, social acceptance of gays and lesbians in Taiwan has grown considerably in this decade, most notably in Taipei. While activists remain frustrated over stalled national equality legislation, a number of LGBT cafes and bookstores are reportedly flourishing in the city. In the U.S., a Florida judge has ruled that the state's 31-year ban on adoptions by gays and lesbians is unconstitutional. The decision by Judge David Audlin Jr. will allow an openly gay Key West man to adopt the teenage boy that he’s raised as a foster parent since 2001. Audlin appointed the foster father to be the boy's legal guardian in 2006. The teen has learning disabilities and special needs, so it’s unlikely that a heterosexual couple would want him. At a hearing earlier this year, according to a report in the “Miami Herald,” the boy testified that he wanted the man to be his "forever father... because I love him." Judge Audlin said that the adoption by the Key West man and his partner was in the child's "best interest." He said that barring gays and lesbians from adopting conflicted with the state Constitution because it targets a specific group, and prevents family courts and child welfare judges from deciding on a case-by-case basis what’s best for the child. The law was passed during Anita Bryant’s infamous anti-queer crusade in 1977. Attempts to repeal it have failed several times in the legislature. Audlin’s ruling, however, is unlikely to be cited as a precedent in future cases. And if it is, legal analysts say, it’s likely to be appealed. Mississippi is the only other U.S. state that specifically forbids gays and lesbians from adopting children. Maryland’s highes t court, the state Court of Appeals, this week ruled against a referendum proposing to repeal gender identity anti-bias protections in Montgomery County, which is just north of Washington, DC. The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously last year to add gender identity as a protected class to its civil rights law. Charging that the addition of gender identity would create confusion in public restrooms and health club locker rooms, Citizens for Responsible Government immediately began collecting signatures to block the statute from going into effect. This week’s Court of Appeals decision reversed a lower court ruling that the LGBT advocacy group Equality Maryland had missed the deadline to challenge the validity of the petition signatures that had qualified the measure for the ballot. The high court heard arguments on September 8th, and had to rule quickly because state officials were required to certify language for the November 4th ballot by September 10th. The justices only issued a brief order reversing the lower court ruling, promising a fuller explanation of their decision later. Lambda Legal had joined Equality Maryland in the lawsuit. Natalie Chin, a Lambda Legal staff attorney, told reporters that “The bottom line is that the court said a petition sponsor shouldn’t be allowed to cut corners and circumvent legal requirements to get a referendum attacking minority protections on the ballot... We are very happy that this duly enacted law can take effect and protect a vulnerable=2 0group of Montgomery County residents.” Mexico City's legislature passed a law earlier this month making it easier for transgender people to legally change their names and obtain revised birth certificates reflecting their chosen gender identity. Laws had already allowed people to do that. But because there were no specific rules, the process could take years to wind through the courts. The new law formalizes the procedure for name changes and lets people ask a judge for new birth certificates. Mexico City's leftist government last year enacted civil unions legislation for same-gender couples. And finally, a church in South Africa has been fined for firing a music teacher in 2005 because he was in a gay relationship. The country’s Christian Democratic Party and the Apostolic Faith Mission Church have expressed alarm over the recent Pretoria High Court ruling. Officials from the Party and the Church said that while the South African constitution prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, it also protects freedom of association and religion and that the former shouuld not trump the latter. Apostolic Faith President Dr. Isak Burger told reporters that Christian values should not be subject to "an extremely secular and liberal constitution" that is, he said, "above the Bible and... God." But the court ruled that the Dutch Reformed Church Moreleta Park had discriminated against Johan Strydom, must publicly apologize to him, and must pay him the equiv alent of about 11,200 U.S. dollars for impairment of his dignity, emotional and psychological suffering, and loss of earnings. While expressing its disagreement with the ruling, the church said this week that it had decided not to appeal because “the congregation had enough opportunity to testify on the Bible’s view on the dangers of homosexuality”. Looking for spoilers and reviews on the new TV season? Get AOL's ultimate guide to fall TV.