Date: Tue, 27 Dec 1994 10:12:30 -0500 From: David B. O'Donnell To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Subject: SWEDEN: Bible Belt Protest against Partnership Reform [ Send all responses to Bjorn.Skolander@NORDISKA.UU.SE only. Any responses to the list or list-owners will be returned to you. ] Source: Reporter 1995/1 Sweden's local governments and municipalities have now appointed officials to officiate at the Registered Partnership ceremonies. At the first ceremony on January 2, between Sven-Olov Jansson and Hans Jonsson in O"stersund, the former MP for the Socialist Party (Va"nsterpartiet) Jo"rn Svensson will be officiating. Svensson is one of the Swedish MP's who have been fighting for the Registered Partneship Reform. Another one is his partner MP Margareta Winberg (Social Democratic Party), who is Minister of Agriculture in the present Swedish government. Margareta Winberg will be attending the first Partnership ceremony in O"stersund. But at least one local government has refused to appoint partnership officials as a protest against the reform. In Va"rnamo, which is located in the Swedish Bible belt in the south of the country, the Christian Democratic Party (Kds) has influenced other political parties to not appointing partnership officials. This will, however, not prevent gays and lesbians from registering their partnerships in Va"rnamo, as they can go to the district court and have their partnership registered by the local judge. "We have to safeguard the family, which is the best surrounding for children to grow up in", a local Kds spokesman said. The motive for the Kds position is that the inhabitants of Va"rnamo will get "gender-confused" if there is a possibility of registering same-sex partnerships. Another Kds politician said that he did not believe that the local government's decision would have any negative consequences in Va"rnamo. "There simply are no homosexuals here who could be affected", he said, "as it is mainly a problem in the cities." Bjorn