This issue:
Dr Rodney Harrison, said on Friday that he had filed proceedings in the High Court at Auckland. A hearing date would be set after a March 28 procedural meeting between himself, the judge and the Crown Law Office.
Dr Harrison is representing three lesbian couples who want a ruling that same sex couples are entitled to marry legally under existing law.
The debate on the refusal of Nelson Bay TV to take express Report continues. Mr Bob Hansell, Bay TV director refuses to accept media calls or to respond to the ongoing debate.
Meanwhile the debate continues in the Nelson Mail letter columns with some writers reaching new depths, for example David Lowenstein wrote on February 23, "It is (homosexuality) a matter of lust, with the individual choosing what level of degradation he or she will stoop to."
Nelson gay activists are continuing to keep up the pressure with letters to the editor, letters to Bay TV, and street stalls to raise signatures to a petition.
The five yearly census this year acknowledges the existence of gay and lesbian couples. Question 16 asks about marital status and this years note to the question states that "If you live with a partner as a gay or lesbian couple, tick "your partner or de facto, girlfriend or boyfriend." This will then flow through into the househould questionairre and make visible gay and lesbian couples in NZ statistics.
A survey of 25 people with HIV or AIDS found they spent between $100 and $400 on services a month, depending on the seriousness of their conditions. Almost half of those in the study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, were on benefits and received less than $1,000 a month.
The study concluded that the personal cost of HIV and AIDS was "significant and burdensome," caused by successive governments shifting "the cost of health care from the public purse to private individuals."
Pharmac, the government drug-pricing company, said it would met AIDS campaigners to discuss the problems of funding new combo drug therapy.
Pharmac has stated that it is unable to fund the new combo therapy because its budget is fully committed.
Television
Express Report every Monday 10pm on ATV, Capital City, Coast to Coast, Southern and CTV.
The Sum Of Us, Sky TV Sunday March 3 8:30pm, Monday March 11 6.30pm
M Butterfly, Sky TV Thursday March 7 12:05am
Radio
Regular gay and lesbian shows
Auckland - G & T Show, 810AM Access Radio, Thursday 7 to 8am
Auckland - This Way Out, 810AM Access Radio, Saturday 11:40am
Auckland - In The Pink, 95BFM Student Radio, Sunday 8 to 9pm
Auckland - Girls Own Show, 95BFM Student Radio, Sunday 7 to 8pm
Hamilton - Different Strokes, 89FM Student Radio, Sunday 8pm
Wellington - Gay BC, 783AM Access Radio, Gay BC, Saturdays 11:15 - 12:15
Wellington - Reading Lesbian Writers, 783AM Access Radio,Saturdays, 1.15 - 1.30pm
Wellington - Lesbian Radio Programme, 783AM Access Radio,Sundays, 10 - 11 am
Wellington - Boy Trouble, 89FM Student Radio, Sunday 6-7pm
Nelson/Motueka - Gaytime FM, 90.4FM Fresh FM, Sunday 11am
Christchurch - Loud & Queer, RDU 98.3FM Student Radio,Wednesday 6pm to 7pm
Christchurch - Outwaves, 96.9FM Plains FM, Monday 8pm
Dunedin -Lesbian Show, 91FM Radio One, Tuesday 6pm
Dunedin -Tea with the Boys, 91FM Radio One, Thursday 6pm
For more information on the above shows check out http://nz.com/NZ/Queer/radio.html
None this week.
Auckland Community Church - 31 March 1996.
Wellington Blatant GLBT Dance - 30 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 30 March 1996
Wellington Gay/Lesbian Fair - 30 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 27 March 1996
Auckland Community Church - 24 March 1996.
Wellington Lesbian Overland and Cafe Club - 24 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 23 March 1996
Auckland Community Church - 20 March 1996.
Wellington Ascent Discussion Evening - 20 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 20 March 1996
Auckland Community Church - 17 March 1996.
Wellington Lesbian Mountain Bike Riders - 17 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 16 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 13 March 1996
Auckland Community Church - 10 March 1996.
Wellington Lesbian Overland and Cafe Club - 10 March 1996
Auckland Gay Tramping Group, March 10 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 9 March 1996
Dunedin Absolutely Fabulous Dance - 6 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Library (LILAC) - 6 March 1996
Wellington Lesbian Matrimonial Property Act discussion - 3 March 1996
Auckland Community Church - 3 March 1996.
More details on the above events can be found on the web at http://nz.com/NZ/Queer/calendar/1996/ (NB The new URL for the calendar.)
(Please advise any errors, corrections or ommissions)
AIDS Hotline - Auckland +64-9-3580099 Toll free 0800-802-4237 24 Hours
Whangarei Gay Help - +64-9-437-7620, Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 9.30pm
Auckland Gayline - +64-9-303-3584 10am to 10pm weekdays, 2pm to 10pm weekends.
Hamilton Gayline - +64-7-854-9631, Wednesday 8 to 10pm
Rotorua Gayline - +64-7-348-3598, Tuesday 7 to 9pm
Napier Gayline - +64-6-835-7482, 5pm to 8am.
Palmerston North - +64-6-358-5378 24 hour answerservice.
Wellington Switchboard - +64-4-385-0674, 7.30pm to 10pm
Wellington Lesbian Line - +64-4-389-8082 Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 10pm
Greymouth/Reefton Gayline - +64-3-768-4366, Wednesday to Friday 6 to 9pm.
Westport Gayline - +64-3-789-6027, Friday 7-8.30pm
Hokitika Gayline - +64-3-755-6270, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7-10pm
Christchurch Gayline - +64-3-379-4796 Mondays 8-9pm, Saturday 7.30 to 10pm
Chrischurch Gay Information line - +64-379-3990 24 hour recorded service.
Dunedin Gayline - +64-477-2077 24 hour recorded service. Answered on Wednesday 5.30 to 7.30pm, Saturday 7.30 to 10.30pm.
Especially for those facing religious bigots the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Catholic Handbook, http://www.bway.net/~halsall/lgbh.html, would be a good place to start and find out how bare the fundamentalist Christian arguements are.
Overseas media who utilise any or all of the above material please credit QNA as your source. Thank you.
QNA is a weekly news service of events, activities and other items of interest that are happening in the queer community in New Zealand. The news is distributed via the QNA mailing list (email proffitt@iprolink.co.nz to be included on this list), posted to soc.motss and nz.soc.queer.The news articles only are distributed via the GLBNews and Queerplanet mailing lists.The news will also archived at Akiko International web site (http://nz.com/NZ/Queer/QNA/), the most current issue will be also found at the QRD (http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/pacific/nz/qna.html) and on Social Tendancies BBS (64-7-846-2603).
Contributions to QNA can be sent via email to proffitt@iprolink.co.nz, fax 64-9-3761404 or 64-21-787264 or toll free fax within NZ 0800-771-404 or snail mail or phone on 64-9-3769258 or toll free phone within NZ 0800-771-403.
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