SHARK BY MIKI THOMAS ne thing I love about the 0 Web is that it allows me to learn about cultures around the world without hav- ing to ‘leave my apartment. I’ve been discovering sites from areas one would never think of as having a GLBT community. Obviously, in many cases, the situation for gays and lesbians is nothing like what one would find in Western countries. Visiting sites from far-flung places pro- vides a reality check ~ things here could be much worse. Take, for instance, Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe, its notoriously homophobic presi- dent, made international head- lines when he attempted to bar gays and lesbians from Zimbabwe’s International Book Fair a few years ago. To read up on that incident and the the world, check out the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe site. Namibia also has a problem with intolerant government officials wanting to ban GLBT groups in the country, but that hasn’t stopped the Rainbow response it generated around vides the most liberal atmos- phere for the GLBT‘ communi- ty. Croatia once had a thriving ’ community, but due to corrup- tion at high levels of govem- ment and tensions among war- ring neighbors, the situation has once again become oppres- sive. You can read up on Croatia at the Croatian LesBiGays on Internet site. Serbia has a GLBT group idalled Arkadija, with a sister group, Labrys, for lesbians. Although male homosexuality is no longer illegal, that doesn’t mean all is well. Gays are often harassed and subject to police raids. Lesbians never had legal recognition one way or'the other; in this patriarchal soci- ety, ‘lesbian’ means ‘whore.’ As if Slobodan Milosevic doesn’t have enough groups to hate, gays and lesbians are apparently on his list as well. For more information, check out the Arkadija site. ‘ _ If you think’ that acountry that would whack your ass for mundane offences might also have problems with gays, THE HOT LIST Travel & Resources: Singapore page, although the young, edu- cated, and professional class in Singapore is fairly liberal -in its. attitudes towards homosexuali- ty, the government doesn’t share such views. Needless to say, the police act accordingly. Perhaps the most gay’- friendly areas are located up north. I remember reading an article a few years ago about how Canada’s Yukon Territory was becoming a popular spot for gays and lesbians to relo- cate. The atmosphere there is fairly tolerant; the Yukon was among the first Canadian juris- dictions to provide domestic partner benefits. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Yukon pro- vides resources and social activities for the GLBT com- munity. Its site offers more information about the GLBT scene (but nothing about relo- cation). Although Iceland’s popula- tion is smaller than Vermont’s', it does have one thing Vermont doesn’t yet have — same-sex marriage rights. The country also has anti-discrimination laws and hate-speech protec- tions in place. Samtokin, Iceland’s premier GLBT group, can take credit for many of the changes there; it is cur- rently working on adoption‘ frights for same-sex couples. Written in both Icelandic and English, Samtokin’s site pro- vides a fascinating look at how such a small country can have a thriving community center. (RU12? take note!) If you are interested in learning more about the inter- national GLBT community and how you can help victims of government and social oppres- sion, check out the site for the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The IGLHRC site provides action alerts and mechanisms for writing nasty notes to gov- ‘emments that oppress GLBT citizens, publications for sale onisubjects ranging from gays in Russia to women’s rights, and articles and updates about the GLBT community at large. online Intormati_on about our Global communitv .you’re right. According to the The IGLHRC is also hiring so if you want a career where you can make a difference, defi- nitely check them out! Odds and Ends .. . Concerned about the prolif- eration of hate sites on the web? So'are the folks at the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL is now providing a HateFi1ter that you can down- load at its site to help protect children and impressionable adults from accessing‘ hat sites. - Vermont Pagans and their friends have a new resource on the web — the Vermont Wiccan & Pagan Resources page provided by the Burlington UU Circle. In addi- tion to information about the UU Circle, there are extensive ‘links to both Pagan and non- Pagan resources. The Vermont Rainbow Connection homepage will be getting a face lifi; a news sec- tion will soon cover all the news that doesn’t get men- tioned on the show. V Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe www.icon.co.zal~stobbsIgalz.htm Travel & Resources: Singapore www2.best.comI~utopiaItipssing.htm Anti-Defamation League www.adI.org Project from I organizing. Its site includes news reports and letters to the editor - from Namibian newspapers. The lat- ter provide a fascinating‘ look ’at how average Africans feel about homosexu_ality._A Our next stop is the Balkans, where whatfiused to be Yugoslavia is located. Out of the small republics formed I there in the wakelof commu- nism’s collapse, Slovenia pro- Rainbow Project www.trp.org.na Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Yukon www.gaycanada.com/galayukon Vermont Wiccan & Pagan Resources members.ao|.coml_ht_alFirebearerIind Samtokin ex.htm| www.mmedia.is/~gayiceI Croatian LesBiGays on Internet www.geocities.comIWestHo||ywoodl I 824 Arkadija www.neww.orgIceewomenlarkadija.htm Vermont Rainbow Connection home page www.together.netl~lavender International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission www.ig|hrc.org Stall III IIIIIBII Wllll IIIB lI8I‘lll0Ill GIIIIIIIIIIIIIW IIBIWBBII ISSIIBS Ill 0””. V We’ve set up three new e-mail listservs to keep you up to I - date with everything from the local gossip to national issues. VT P rid e N et: an e-mail discussion list. LGBT folks from across Vermont — and the people who love them — can now exchange messages A A , ' g If you’d rather get your chatter in one neat package instead To subscribe to any of the lists, send e-mail to :majordomo@queernet.org lnthe body of your e-mail, you should include one of the following lines to specify the list you want to join: subscribe vtpridenet -- of individual messages,» check out VTPrideN et-d i gest. 09 V W Instead of getting each e-mail separately, you'll get one long subscribe Vtpfidenet_digest, message that contains allthe day's postings. OR For those who aren’t;up for chatter .but want to keep up with major newsevent notices and paper deadlines (of course), there’s,VTPrideNet-announce. There’s no discussion on this list subscribe vtpridenet-announce If you need assistance, email us at oitm@together.net = llllll the virtual 0ITMI:0mmllIlllll today! ; *"¥’ — just announcements as events warrant. u . -.. 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