Washington Blade - December 14, 2001
Indian group: Legalize homosexual sex
NEW DELHI, India -- A suit filed by the Naz Foundation, a gay rights group, has petitioned the Delhi High Court to issue a restraining order that would prevent the government from criminalizing male homosexual relations, according to 365Gay.com. The group believes that making gay sex a crime not only impedes a person's right to life and liberty, but also mutes effective control of the spread of AIDS. The foundation was charged earlier this year with promoting criminal acts in its AIDS information. According to Indian law, punishment for homosexual acts can be life imprisonment. "These social effects in turn drive gay men underground, with a devastating impact upon the AIDS prevention effort. Once underground, they become extremely vulnerable to AIDS because it becomes difficult for them to negotiate safe sexual behaviors," the petitioner said. "It also becomes difficult to identify and target this population for AIDS prevention efforts through education and medical services."
Quebec to become second to recognize civil unions
QUEBEC (AP) -- Quebec is poised to become the second province in Canada, after Nova Scotia, to recognize civil unions for gay male and lesbian couples. Under the proposed legislation, gay couples could have their union formally recognized by judges or consenting pastors and a civil-union status would offer most of the legal benefits of marriage, including division of assents after a breakup, the right to see a partner's medical records, and the automatic status of beneficiary when a partner dies. Gay men and lesbians wouldn't be able to get married, though, because matrimony falls under federal jurisdiction. The civil union legislation also does not allow for gay couples to adopt. "We're aiming to erase the discrimination that exists in our laws and guarantee that same-sex couples have the same rights as other," Quebec Justice Minister Paul Begin said. The legislation should be adopted next spring after public hearings in January.
Western Australia lawmakers pass civil rights bill
PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Lawmakers in the lower house of the Western Australian state parliament on Dec. 12 passed a contentious bill aimed at removing discrimination against gays and lesbians. The bill lowers the gay age of consent from 21 years to 16 and allows same-sex couples equal access to adoption procedures and in vitro fertilization treatment. It also gives same-sex couples the same rights as cohabiting heterosexual couples in areas such as the transfer of property, medical treatment and inheritance upon the death of a partner. It was passed after a marathon 16-hour session of the House of Representatives. The Labor government pursued the bill following a 47-point advisory committee report that said discrimination in Western Australia against gay men and lesbians was widespread. Debate on the bill in the parliament was heated, with opposition claiming that lowering the age of consent would allow pedophiles to justify their behavior. The bill will be introduced into the Upper House later this week where it is expected to pass with support from the left-wing Greens Party.
Swedish donor ordered to pay child support
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A Swedish court has ruled that a man who donated sperm for use in artificial insemination, which enabled a lesbian couple to have children, must now pay child support because the two women have separated, reported Reuters. The court ruled that there was no doubt that the man was the children's biological father and is therefore obliged to pay child support of 2,838 crowns ($265) per month. The verdict, though, runs in opposition to Swedish law, which states that a sperm donor is not considered the legal parent of children conceived with donated sperm. Sperm donors are usually anonymous, but the man in question knew the two women who were receiving the sperm. The man has appealed the court ruling.
-- From staff and wire reports
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