Up to 40,000 expected at Melbourne's Pride March on Sunday!

Seventeenth annual LGBT Pride March is for ‘rights issues that remain untouched’!

 

On Sunday 30,000 to 40,000 people are expected to march for LGBT rights in Melbourne, including the world’s first openly intersex mayor Tony Briffa, Victoria MP Clem Newton-Brown and police chief commissioner Ken Lay.
The march will start with the traditional dykes on bikes followed by representatives from 120 different organisations including the Department of Transport, Ambulance Victoria, Bisexual Alliance, Australian Sex Party, Sex Workers of Victoria, Melbourne University Queer Department, local high schools, sports groups, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Acceptance Gay Catholics, Metropolitan Community Church Melbourne, Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria, Greek and Gay and People Living with HIV/AIDS Victoria.
Pride March Victoria has been organised in Melbourne since 1995 and acts and an unofficial finale of Midsumma celebration of queer culture. Midsumma’s CEO Adam Lowe told Gay Star News that the march is distinct from Sydney’s Mardi Gras march, because it's deliberately not a parade. ‘They're aren't any fancy coloured floats or dancing boys or dancing girls,’ said Lowe. ‘It's much more about holding the banner of your organisation and standing up for the rights issues that remain untouched.’

Πηγή:www.gaystarnews.com

'Gay marriage reduces drug and alcohol abuse'.

Experts are calling on the Australian government to legalize gay marriage because of its health benefits.

 

Legalizing gay marriage will reduce drug and alcohol abuse in the LGBT community, say experts in Australia.
In a newly released paper, researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales cite studies which shows a direct link between marriage equality and reduced alcohol and drug consumption.
They also cite studies showing a link between marriage equality and reduced HIV infections and have called on the Australian government to allow same-sex partnerships as a preventative health measure.
According to the paper, 'The best public-policy interventions are those which target a significant problem, have a clear rationale, are supported by research evidence, are least costly to implement and have strong community support.
'Legalizing gay marriage as an alcohol and drug policy response meets these criteria.
'It is now time to legalize gay marriage as an important contribution to reducing alcohol and other drug harm in Australia.'
Psychologists from across Australia concerned about the adverse mental impact of Australia's ban on same-sex marriages, have formed a new group to research, lobby and advocate for marriage equality.
Spokesman for the group, Melbourne psychologist Ben Callegari, said:
'As psychologists we see the damage done by prejudice and discrimination on a daily basis.
'We know from international studies that including gay and lesbian couples in such a core institution as marriage has a beneficial impact on quality of life and mental health.'
This year is crucial for gay marriage in Australia. In December, the ruling Labor party voted to support it at their national conference but Prime Minister Julia Gillard has not expressed support.
Gillard succeeded in adding an amendment to the policy that requires a free vote in parliament on any same-sex marriage bill.
This will make it difficult for a same-sex marriage bill to make it through parliament since it will need support from the socially conservative Liberal Party.

Πηγή:www.gaystarnews.com

Comment: The Canadian rule which bans transgender flight.

Canada is now officially a transgender no-fly zone.
This is the result of new rules, introduced last July, but only now coming to light, which state that an air carrier “shall not transport a passenger if … the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents”.
The reason that it has taken so long for this provision to percolate through to public awareness is that it was introduced not through formal legislation before the Canadian legislature, but as part Identity Screening Regulations, implemented unilaterally by the Ministry of Transportation, in support of Canada’s so-called Passenger Protect programme.
Its impact will be felt first by members of the Canadian transgender community, who may only change the ‘sex’ designation on a Canadian Passport, on provision of proof that surgery has taken place, or will take place within one year. This, it is argued by blogger, Christin Scarlett Milloy, means that non-operative transgender persons, gender nonconforming (genderqueer) persons, and the vast majority of pre-operative transsexual persons will find it literally impossible to obtain “proper” travel documentation.
However, there is likely to be some degree of impact on trans persons from any other country travelling through Canada on documents that fail to meet these new criteria.
A petition calling on the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to have these regulations set aside has been launched on change.org.
Meanwhile, cynics are speculating whether this move is ill-thought accident – or a rather more sinister piece of revenge by Conservative MP and Minister for Transport, Denis Lebel.
The change to regulations took place shortly after the federal election in 2011. In the previous parliament, Bill C-389, a bill to amend the Human Rights Code to explicitly enshrine protections against discrimination for transgender people, had successfully passed in the House of Commons, only to die on the Senate floor when the election was declared.
As Ms Milloy asked yesterday: “Is the timing of this disturbing and blatantly discriminatory regulatory adjustment merely a coincidence?
Analysis
Some people have been asking how many individuals have actually been prevented from flying by these regulations: but that misses the point entirely – which is that the use of perceived gender in this fashion is deeply offensive not simply to trans men and women, but to all men and women who fail to live up to societally imposed “norms” of gender and appearance.
A particular issue, which i have reported on in the past, is how women whose appearance is in any way “butch” or masculine frequently report difficulties in some women’s spaces.
While some will inevitably defend this move on grounds of “security”, it is important to understand what is being required here. No-one is objecting to government rules that require an individual’s appearance to match to their description on their pasport – or indeed that they should be allowed to duck out on biometric measures such as fingerprinting or retinal scans.
But this is about something else: whether an individual fits with the preconceived notions of what a border guard believes constitutes a “normal” appearance for their declared gender.
Over the last twelve months, Australia has stated its aim of permitting an “indeterminate” status to be recorded on passports for intersex individuals: and the UK Government has revealed that it is examining the entire question of whether gender markers on official documents are useful – not just, as critics would have it, for reasons of “political correctness”, but because there are genuine doubts that it really adds much that is useful.
This makes the Canadian regulation looks all the more like a seriously retrograde – and spiteful – step.
Jane Fae is an independent writer and sexual rights activist.

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

Reykjavik prepares for February gay festival!

Iceland’s capital city is inviting gay people from around the world to attend its International LGBT Festival from 16-19 February.
The Rainbow Reykjavik Event Team along with tour operators Pink Iceland and Reykjavik Excursions, have put together a programme of events and tours.
Audur Halldorsdottir from Visit Reykjavik said: “We are really excited about hosting Rainbow Reykjavik and welcoming the LGBT Community from across the world to our beautiful and very LGBT-friendly country!”
Eva María Thorarinsdottir Lange, Managing Director of Pink Iceland said: “The Rainbow Reykjavik program provides a colourful mixture of various events, including tours to see the Northern Lights, geysirs, waterfalls and the Continental Divide, great meals, cocktail receptions and dance parties….as well as pure wellness and relaxation in the world famous geothermal spa of the Blue Lagoon.”
In addition to experiencing Iceland’s unparalleled nature, a ‘Queer Concert’ in Reykjavik’s new Harpa Concert Hall is also included in the programme.
After an LGBT community dinner in the the beautiful Kolabrautin Restaurant in Harpa Concert Hall, Rainbow Reykjavik is proud to announce that some of Iceland’s most famous artists are scheduled to perform, including Lay Low and Paul Oscar.
Organisers say Lay Low “took the country by storm, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and quickly became one of Iceland’s most celebrated and popular singer-songwriters”.
Paul Oscar is described as one of Iceland’s “most beloved performing artists, leading and involved in LGBT rights since the early 90′s”.
He enjoyed a triple win at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2007 for his solo album, Allt fyrirástina (Anything For Love).
He also represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, was a judge in both the Icelandic Idol and X-Factor TV series, and is Iceland’s most sought after DJ and performer. Organisers said his float in the Reykjavík Gay Pride parade is always the “most anticipated of all”.
Rainbow Reykjavik says temperatures are moderate year-round, with snow a rarity in the world’s northernmost capital city.
“And always bring a bathing suit, whatever time of the year you visit. A favourite pastime is year-round outdoor swimming in countless geothermally heated pools and lagoons, with a typical temperature of 25-28°C. And there is no better time to see the Northern Lights!“ says Audur Halldorsdottir.
Icelandair is a proud Platinum sponsor for the event, and organisers describe the prices of their package as “unbelievable”:
• Roundtrip flight to Iceland
• 3 nights hotel stay in either Reykjavik Natura or Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
• Flybus transportation from and to the airport
• A soak in the Blue Lagoon
• Welcome party with local performers
• Gullfoss, Gaysir & Fontana Tour & Lunch box
• Dinner at the beautifult Kolabrautin Restaurant in Harpa Concert Hall
• Concert in Harpa
• Party at Barbara & Trúnó
• Light lunch
• LGBT History Walk in Reykjavík
• Cocktail reception
• Dinner Dance Party – Viking Theme

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

China: 16 million women ‘married to gays’.

A university professor in China has estimated that 16 million women in the world’s most populous country are married to gays.
Professor Zhang Bei-chuan of Qingdao University says the huge number of women – equivalent to the population of the Netherlands – who have tied the knot with gay men are struggling to cope.
Speaking to state-run China Daily, the academic said as many as 90% of gay Chinese men marry to conform with social norms.
As of 2010, China had a population of more than 1.3 billion.
According to Professor Zhang Bei-chuan’s estimate, roughly 3% of the country’s adult population is in a gay-straight marriage.
The potentially damaging effect of such marriages was highlighted by 29-year-old Xiao Yao, who was married to a gay man and now runs a support website for wives in similar situations.
She said: “Most gay men’s wives I’ve known are silently suffering at the hands of husbands who could never love them, and like me, some even got abused by husbands who were also under great pressure.
“The website makes them feel they’re not alone and empowers them to make the right choices.”
The number was queried by one of the gay men questioned by the paper, but others said they would consider marrying a woman.
Wang, 27, told the publication he would consider marrying a lesbian if he were forced to wed a woman.
Xiao Dong, a gay man involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, said it was an “unsubstantiated” and “pointless” investigation.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in the People’s Republic in 1997 and its status as a mental disorder revoked in 2001, but legal protection for gays is minimal with no non-discrimination or equal marriage rights and strong censorship rules.

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

Firm discriminated against gay lawyer with ‘batty boy’ friend.

   In a memo discovered by Lee Bennett in firm archives in 2010, a partner at Bivonas LLP had written that he should be sacked and that he would “take our cases to his batty boy mate”.
   The Employment Appeal Tribunal agreed with the original ruling that the content of the memo was “a professional slur of the utmost gravity”.
   The law firm had claimed the note, written in 2008, was a “personal aide-memoire”, not intended to be kept or showed to anyone.
   It lost its argument on appeal that the Employment Tribunal was wrong to say that the insult was a detriment.
   The Employment Appeal Tribunal found no evidence that any straight men had been insulted in the same way as Mr Bennett for being gay.
   The firm could not provide justification for treating Mr Bennett differently to other employees.
   The Equality and Human Rights Commission funded Mr Bennett’s defence against the law firm’s appeal.
John Wadham, Group Director Legal, Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “Homophobia will not be tolerated in the workplace or anywhere else. We funded Mr Bennett’s defence and this win has set a precedent for discrimination law.”
  Bivonas said it had “the appropriate measures in the light of the Tribunal’s observations”.

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

Gay candidate faces tough battle in Finland vote.

  For his supporters, Pekka Haavisto’s breakthrough into Finland’s presidential runoff defies fears that tolerance is waning in Finland. The gay environmentalist who lives with an Ecuadorean immigrant faces off Sunday against a veteran conservative.
But they have no illusions about Haavisto’s chances.
“I like Haavisto. He’s softer and is on the side of poor, but he won’t win,’’ said Tiinu Wikman, 23, a cosmetologist in Helsinki.
As Finland prepares to elect a new president, Greens candidate Haavisto’s sexual orientation is the elephant in the room. It hasn’t come up in newspaper editorials or been a major issue in election debates between him and his rival Sauli Niinisto.
 Still, analysts expect it to be a decisive factor in the race.
“The two men are very similar in their views on foreign policy — the president’s traditional domain — and there is no obvious clash there,’’ political analyst Olavi Borg said. “But a majority of Finns are not prepared to vote for someone who is Green or to be represented by a homosexual.’’
Among the Nordic nations, which take pride in being progressive and tolerant societies, Finland lagged behind its neighbors in legally recognizing same-sex partnerships. Denmark was the first to do so in 1989, followed by Norway in 1993, Sweden in 1995 and Iceland — whose current prime minister is openly lesbian — in 1996.
Finland’s registered partnership law took effect in 2002, and Haavisto was among the first to use it, entering a union with a hairdresser from Ecuador.
“I have the impression that Finns are tolerant and feel that everyone is entitled to their privacy and that the private lives of others are none of their business,’’ Haavisto, 53, told The Associated Press on Friday. He added that his sexual orientation could be “a hurdle’’ for some voters.
Haavisto, who draws support from a core of young, liberal, urban voters, got 19 percent of the vote to finish second in a field of eight candidates in the first round on Jan. 22. Niinisto, a former finance minister, won with 37 percent, and has maintained a clear lead in surveys leading up to the second round.
A poll published by national broadcaster YLE on Thursday gave Niinisto 62 percent support against 38 percent for Haavisto. Taloustutkimus interviewed 1,492 people in Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 for the survey, which had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
The candidates have a lot in common. They entered politics in 1987, when they were voted into Parliament. They come from affluent backgrounds, share a gentlemanly manner and in true Finnish fashion, have not been provoked into confrontation during debates.

Πηγή:www.biggaynews.com