.1iv- ,.-x. ‘lino Stabbed in Jerusalem Pride Jerusalem - An ultra-Orthodox Jewish protester stabbed two marchers in a gay pride parade through the city last month as police pushed back demonstrators trying to stop the march. The man suspected of the stabbing was arrested along with nine other protesters. The wounded marchers were treated by medics at the scene. , I According to a report from Reuters, authorities had tried to ban the parade for fear it c_ould provoke violence, but they were overruled by Israel’s High Court. ' Thousands took part in Jerusalem’s fourth Gay Pride March, dancing and waving through the center of the city as protesters erect- ed a banner that read “Welcome to Sodom.” :’ March Against War , Washington, DC - United for Peace and Justice, organizers of the major U.S. anti-war marches before and after the American invasion of Iraq, is mobilizing for a massive march _ _. . on Washington on Saturday, September 24. Organizers lplan grassroots training for Sunday and lobbying and acts of civil disobedi- ence_on Capitol Hill for Monday. A “A majority of Americans believe that this ‘war never should have happened, but our elected rep- resentatives in Washington continue to rubber-stamp the Bush Administration’s disastrous Iraq policies,” said a statement by the group, led by Leslie Cagan, a les- bian, as reported New York’s Gay City News. For more information, visit unitedforpeace.org. I O, Canada! Ottawa — In late June, the Canadian House of Commons ended a four- month debate and passed a same-sex marriage bill. The bill passed the Senate in late July and received “Royal Assent” on July 20, making Canada the fourth nation in the world to recognize same-sex mar- riages, according to the National Post. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain are the other three countries which currently recognize same-sex marriages. The Civil Marriage Act . led to the most acrimonious parlia- mentary session since the 1980s, and opponents have vowed to take the issue to the next Federal elec- tion. “If we don't stop this I know what the next steps are. Euthanasia. Decrirriinalization of marijuana,” said one senator from B.C.. But Senator Nancy Ruth, who voted for the bill, danced in the red chamber just before the vote, according to the CBC. “There are some reasons to dance tonight and the whole country should be dancing," she said. communicating Self-Hate Washington, DC - In a phone call recorded by PageOneQ and blogACTIVE.com, Robert Traynham, Director of Communications for United States Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has said he is an out gay man who com- pletely supports the senator. When asked how a gay man could speak for one of the nation’s most.notori- ous homophobes, Traynham protest- ed that he has “been with the Senator for eight years” and that “Senator Santorum is a man of prin- ciple, I strongly do support Senator Santorum.” When pressed on whether he supported the senator’s stands on lesbian and gay issues, Traynham abruptly ended the phone call. .l.A Gav Seniors at Home Los Angeles - The nation’s first non- profit LGBT senior housing com- plex began construction last month and was endorsed by newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said, “We want more.” As reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Associated Press, the $20 million complex, located in Hollywood, will be called Encore House and follows a trend toward gay retirement facilities. An octogenarian male couple together for 54 years said they will consider moving there because their genera- tion still experiences discrimination less commonly seen by younger people. Falwell Mum on Justice .Washington, DC — The New York Times revealed last month that White House officials sought advice on a Supreme Court nominee from Rev. Jerry Falwell, one of the most divisive far-right figures in America today. The report came to our atten- tion via a Human Rights Campaign press release. Other sources indicate that Falwell, the founder of the Moral ‘ Majority, declined to offer advice to the White House. Given Mr. Bush’s track record appointing conservative judges, “I am willing to sit back and trust him and pray for him.” NY's West Free of charges Ulster County, NY — The Ulster County district attorney last month dropped charges against Mayor Jason West of New Paltz for marry- ing same-sex couples, saying that a trial would be needless and divisive. West had been charged with 24 mis- demeanor counts of violating the state's domestic relations law when he performed public marriage cere- monies for gay and lesbian couples in February 2004, as reported in The New York Times. In a letter withdrawing the charges, District Attorney Donald A. Williams said a trial would probably “be exploited by those with a greater interest in publicity than the public good.” West had been expected to stand trial in the fall, and if convict- ed, could have faced fines and up to a year in prison. The mayor’s lawyer accused the prosecutor “searching for the limelight, but when it got too hot, he flew away like a moth with singed wings.” Vulgar ‘Dykes on Bikes“ ? San Francisco - Vic Germany thought registering a federal trade- mark for San Francisco’s Dykes on ‘ ‘Bikes organization would be no problem,.according to a report. on SFGate.com. The nonprofit lesbian motorcycle group is internationally known for leading San Francisco’s pride parade every year for nearly three decades. But despite two years of slogging through trademark law, Germany, president of the San Francisco Women’s Motorcycle Contingent, a.k.a. Dykes on Bikes, said the application has been twice rejected., on the grounds that “dyke” is vulgar and offensive. Patent office attorneys cite Webster’s dictionary, which says dyke is “often used dis- paragingly.” , Dykes to Watch Out For cartoonist Alison Bechdel testified in favor of reclaiming the term Yet, in November, the ' patent office registered a trademark for the hit television show ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. “So what’s the difference between ‘queer’ and ‘dyke’?” said Brooke Oliver, the attorney handling the Dykes’ case. Spanish Marriage Hitch Washington, DC — The Spanish Parliament made history in late June by allowing same-sex couples and their children access to the rights, responsibilities and protections of marriage, as reported in an HRC press release. However, the AP reported, within one week, a court ruled that a Spanish man cannot wed his Indian partner because India does not allow gay marriages, the first glitch for the new law. The court cited a provision in marriage codes that foreign resi- dents seeking. to wed Spaniards must adhere to the laws of their home country. CA DP Law OK Sacramento, CA — In late June, the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by anti-gay activists challenging the state’s comprehen- sive domestic partnership protec- . tions for same-sex couples. The order cleared the only remaining hurdle for the law, which became effective in January, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘By enacting AB 205, California became the first state in the U.S. to voluntarilyprovide com- prehensive protections to same-sex couples. In April, Connecticut fol- lowed suit by enacting civil unions for same-sex couples there. 1urkishlPrlde Success Istanbul - The 12th annual LGBT pride events took place July 1-3, 2005, with more than 150 lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders marching through Turkey’s capital city, according to www.kaosgl.com, a Turkish LGBT website. During the march a, group carried a large rain- bow flag. At the -end of the parade they issued a press statement calling on the government to take action against discrimination towards LGBT people. The three days of events included a cocktail party, movies, a picnic, symposium, and dance. ‘ ‘ The peaceful celebration was in stark contrast to the first Christopher Street Day Sexual Liberation Activities day in 1993, when the governor banned the con- ference, allegedly encouraged hotels to refuse lodgings to attendees, and ‘ detained, threatened, then deported 28 foreign delegates to the event. Lambda Istanbul grew out of that repression, and with the prospect of European Union mem-' bership, Turkish LGBT organiza- tions have begun to benefit from relaxed censorship. Church Vandalized Middlebrook, Va — Anti-gay hatred appears to be the motive in an arson attempt at St. John’s Reformed United Church of Christ (UCC). Anti-gay graffiti was found after a fire was set causing damage to a portion of the church, according to a report on www.ucc.org. Police and church leaders believe the attempted arson was a response to the UCC General Synod’s gay-affirming vote on July 4. Delegates there overwhelmingly approved a resolution supporting same-gender marriage equality, making it the largest and only main- stream Christian denomination to take such a stance. Earlier this year, two other churches in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley were vandalized near the time the UCC began running televi- sion ads welcoming all people, including gays and lesbians. Uganda Denles Marriage New York In voting for a constitu- tional amendment to criminalize marriage between persons of the same sex, Uganda’s parliament has struck a gratuitous blow for preju- dice and against basic human rights, Human Rights Watch reported last month. On July 5, the Ugandan parliament approved a constitutional amendment that “marriage is lawful only if entered into between a man and a woman,” and that “it is unlaw- .ful for same-sex couples to marry.” The amendment must still pass a third reading in parliament, which was expected later in the month. “Uganda already imposes draconian prison sentences on peo- ple who engage in homosexual con- duct,” said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. Same-sex sexual relations are criminalized in Uganda under a sodomy law inherited from British colonial rule. Punishments were substantially strengthened in 1990, i .with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Gay Nlgerlan to Be stoned New York - A United Nations human rights expert has raised the alarm over the sentencing of a man in northern Nigeria to death by ston- ing after he admitted engaging in homosexual sex, as reported by Reuters. The UN special rapporteur on arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, has called for an immediate review of the entire process that led to the man’s death sentence under Islarriic Sharia law. The man, about 50 years- old, was acquitted on a charge of having sex with a much younger man. But after the judge asked him if he had previously had homosexual sex, the man said yes. The judge then sentenced him to be stoned to death. - Ten Nigerian women have been sentenced to death by stoning for having sex outside of wedlock since Sharia was brought in; all the cases created outcries and were overturned on appeal. V Compiled this month by Susan McMillan.