Date: Mon, 10 Jul 1995 13:23:49 +0200 From: Steffen Jensen E U R O - L E T T E R no. 34 July 1995 The Euroletter is published on behalf of ILGA - The International Lesbian and Gay Association - by the Eurosecretariat of the national danish organisation for gays and lesbians (LBL), Knabrostr{de 3, DK- 1210 Copenhagen K. Tel. + 45 33 13 19 48 Fax + 45 33 91 03 48, in cooperation with Gay and Lesbian International Lobby. Editors: Steffen Jensen, Ken Egelund Thomassen, Peter Bryld and Lisbeth Andersen. You can receive Euroletter via e-mail and from number 30 onwards the Euroletter is avaiabel on the Internet at gopher.seta.fi. Contributions to the Euroletter are most easily sent either by e- mail to steff@inet.uni-c.dk or by fax to Steffen Jensen at +45 31 24 64 35 (voice and fax). In this issue: - EU not yet to Recognize Partnership - Sexual Orientation a non-discrimination area in EU? - Netherlands to Legalize Gay Marriage - Moldova has legalized homosexuality - Gay group in Albania has got official recognition - Macedonia Bars Gay Lawyers - ILGA project: Human Rights for Lesbians and Gay Men in EU - Two Women to Marry Legally in London - Amnesty Blasts Romania Again - OSCE implementation meeting on Human Dimension Issues - OSCE seminar on Drafting Human Rights Legislation EU not yet to Recognize Partnership In an answer to the Danish member of The European Parliament Freddy Blak the EU Commission has stated that it will not accept unmarried partners on an equal footing with spouses to employees in the Commission. The reason given is that there is no sign on a general development in society that could allow an extended interpretation of the concept of spouse (!) But the Commission wants the issue to be discussed in a high level panel. Sexual Orientation a non-discrimination area in EU? The European Parliament stated on May 17 at an Intergovernmental Conference in Strasbourg that a ban on sexual-orientation-based discrimination should be written into the Treaty of the European Union, which will be revised next year. -1- The Parliament's resolution states: "The Treaty should contain a clear rejection of racism, xenophobia, sexism, discrimination on grounds of a person's sexual orientation, anti-semitism, revisionism and all forms of discrimination, and guarantee adequate legal protection against discrimination for all individuals resident in the European Union." Netherlands to Legalize Gay Marriage by Rex Wockner The Netherlands will legalize gay marriage this summer, reports Henk Krol, editor of De Gay Krant, Holland's leading gay newspaper. "The minister of justice and the secretary of state for internal affairs have announced that the marriage rules will be changed," Krol said in an e-mail message. "Their new rules, that will include gays and lesbians without any restrictions, will be sent to parliament before the summer holidays. "Only (the) CDA (party) and small Christian groups are against it," Krol said. "We have 150 members of Parliament - 42 are against, 14 don't know yet, 94 will pass the new bill!" More than 100 Dutch cities and towns already allow gays and lesbians to record their relationships in a symbolic "marriage register." Krol says that when gay marriage is legalized, the 800 couples that have signed these registers will automatically be legally married. The registers were created following lobbying from the Friends of De Gay Krant Foundation, Krol said. Gay marriage is legal in Denmark, Norway and Sweden but it is technically "registered partnership" and does not include the rights to adoption, church weddings, artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization. Holland will be the first country to allow gays to marry under the exact same laws as hetero- sexuals. Hawaii also is expected to legalize authentic gay marriage, probably in 1996 when the appeals process is exhausted in an ongoing court case. Under the U.S. Constitution, other U.S. states will have to recognize the marriages of gays and lesbians who wed in Hawaii. Moldova has legalized homosexuality In a letter to Kurt Krickler the chief of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova has given the information that the ban on homosexuality in the penal code article 106 has been abolished on 15 June 1995 by the parliament. Gay group in Albania has got official recognition The Albanian Ministry of Justice has 1 June 1995 registered Albani- a's first gay organization, Shoqata Gay Albania. Macedonia Bars Gay Lawyers by Rex Wockner The Bar Association in Macedonia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) voted June 7 to ban homosexuals and alcoholics from becoming lawyers, reported the newspaper Dnevnik. It said the public doesn't trust them. Gays who already are licensed to practice law will be allowed to continue. -2- ILGA project: Human Rights for Lesbians and Gay Men in EU ILGA has filled an application to the EU Commission for this project with a budget of 48.000 ECU asking for a grant of 80 % of this amount. The aim of the project is to follow up the report "Homosexuality - a European Community Issue" and the resolution from the European Parliament from February 1994 (The Roth resolution). Two Women to Marry Legally in London by Rex Wockner Two lesbians will marry legally June 28 in London, reported the Reuter news service. One of the women had a sex-change operation but is still legally considered male, so the marriage will be allowed. Tina-Louise Dixon will tie the knot with Tracie-Anne Scott, who used to be a merchant seaman, has been married twice before and fathered three children. Amnesty Blasts Romania Again by Rex Wockner Amnesty International June 16 dismissed charges by Romanian police that Amnesty was in error when it recently accused Romania of violating the human rights of gays and gypsies. "Our report gives full details of several cases about imprisonment ... for homosexual acts and lack of protection of the gypsies from racist violence," Amnesty said in a statement issued in Bucharest. OSCE implementation meeting on Human Dimension Issues The next OSCE implementatio meeting on the Human Dimansion issues will take place in Warsaw 2 - 19 October 1995. NGO's are invited to take part in the meeting and special time is reserved for NGO meetings on 3rd and 18th October. Furthermore NGO's are welcome to submit written presentations to the meeting and documents can be circulated to all participans. Registration form can be obtained from the Euroletter or from the foreign ministries. ILGA representation must be considered! OSCE seminar on Drafting Human Rights Legislation 19 - 21 September 1995 a seminar on drafting human rights legislati- on will be held in Ashgabat. Among the items on the agenda are "The International Human Rights Instruments and their Standards" and "Human Rights and the OSCE Accords". -3- ------------------------------ End of forwarded message 1