Washington Blade - November 9, 2001

Zambians may outlaw knowingly infecting with HIV

LUSAKA, Zambia -- The Zambian government has proposed a bill that would make it illegal to knowingly infect another person with the virus that causes AIDS, AP reported. Anyone found guilty of violating the law would automatically be imprisoned under the proposed bill. In introducing the bill, Vice President Enock Kavindele told Parliament it was important for Zambians to get tested to know whether they were infected and to help the government understand how to deal with the disease. The law would apply to people who know they have HIV, yet continue behavior that could infect someone else with the disease. A million Zambians are known to be living with HIV. Also in Zambia, a German tourist was recently sentenced to six years in jail with hard labor after pleading guilty to having oral sex, Reuters reported. Wolfgang Seifarth was expected to appeal the sentence. According to court records, a 22-year-old Zambian woman, Pumulo Mbangweta, who performed the sex act on him in a bush near Mazabuka, was not charged, Reuters reported.

Alberta gets extension on changing inheritance law

EDMONTON, Canada -- Canadian courts have given the province of Alberta more time to change a law that discriminates against same-sex partners, the Canadian Press reported. A Court of Queen's Bench judge ruled last April that the Intestate Succession Act was unconstitutional for excluding gays from inheriting if a partner dies without a will; the judge ordered the province to change the law within nine months. On Nov. 2, the judge agreed to give the government a five-month extension. According to a Justice Department memo, the government wants input from the public before changing the law. "Should the law be extended to all conjugal or marriage-like relationships, or should the law be extended further to persons who have a personal relationship of interdependency, but are not in a conjugal relationship?" the Canadian Press quotes the memo as asking. "This is the fundamental issue which must be assessed both through public consultation ... and legal assessment." Brent Johnson of Edmonton challenged the law after he was cut out of the estate of his gay partner, the Canadian Press reported.

Malaysian Prime Minister speaks against gays

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Nov. 1 that if a gay British Cabinet minister visited Malaysia with his boyfriend, both would be expelled. Mahathir, Asia's longest-serving leader, made the remarks in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., explaining that he had planned to step down from power a few years ago but could not after he found out that his deputy was gay. Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia, would not accept a gay leader, Mahathir said. "It's a difference of values," Mahathir said. "British people accept homosexual ministers, but if they ever come here, bringing their boyfriend along, we'll throw them out." In 1998, Mahathir fired his popular heir-apparent, Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after he said he learned that Anwar engaged in homosexuality.

British government mulls same-sex couple registry

LONDON -- The British government is exploring the possible introduction of a registry for same-sex couples, BBC Online News reported. Baroness Sally Morgan of the Cabinet Office's Equality Unit said the government is exploring the same-sex partner registry established in London by Mayor Ken Livingstone. Ministers say there are no plans to legalize gay marriages. "There is an increasing public debate on rights for same sex partnerships," the BBC reported Morgan as saying. "I think it's one that the government is watching with interest because there are clearly areas where most people would recognize that at the moment there is some unfairness." But, Morgan added, "There's no suggestion whatsoever that the government would move on the issue of marriage. We are very clear that marriage remains as it is and there would be no change in that."

From staff and wire reports
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