Law
- Law
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23 March 2007Student lawsuit over school’s ban on homophobic T-shirts + Two Chicago students have filed a lawsuit claiming that being forbidden to wear anti-gay t-shirts is a violation of their civil rights.The Nequa Valley High School pupils, Heidi Zamecnik, 17, and Alexander Nuxoll, 14, are seeking permission from the district court to wear t-shirts bearing homophobic slogans on this year's Day of Silence on 18th April.After a discussion between Zamecnik's parents and school officials the family and Nuxoll decided to take legal action. -
23 March 2007Lesbian fights asylum case in US + A Ugandan lesbian has won her appeal to have her deportation from the United States reconsidered.Olivia Nabulwala, who fled Uganda in 2001 after enduring homophobic violence from her family and others, was at risk of deportation for remaining in the US after her visa had run out.The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Board of Immigration Appeals had misapplied the law. -
23 March 2007Author sues ‘fag’ ex-husband + Novelist Terry McMillan is suing Jonathan Plummer for $40,000 over claims that he attempted to smear her reputation during their divorce.McMillan's lawsuit claims that her Plummer and his lawyer, Dolores Sargent: "conspired and formed a plan to threaten, humiliate and embarrass Terry McMillan."The couple divorced when Plummer revealed to McMillan that he is gay. -
20 March 2007New website gives advice on work discrimination + The first website solely designed to help employees and employers fight discrimination in the workplace has been launched today.Discriminationonline.com is a website run by Brabners Chaffe, specialists in discrimination law.It contains useful information for anyone who thinks they are being discriminated against. -
20 March 2007JP Morgan tells law firms to focus on gay equality + One of the world's largest financial services companies has told law firms it uses to bring their policies on gay and lesbian staff up to standard.JP Morgan has invited 15 external law firms to attend a meeting with Stonewall next month to learn about best practice towards homosexual and bisexual staff.The company's assistant general counsel and managing director Tim Hailes told The Lawyer: "The firms' commitment to this agenda will be a relevant factor." -
20 March 2007Switch of tactics on marriage splits US activists 6 Supporters of gay marriage in America have been outraged by the tide turning against their cause, even amongst other gay rights advocates.Bills to legalise gay marriage have been introduced in the state of Rhode Island every year for the past ten years, and have been rejected every time.So this year, as well as filing for the legalisation of gay marriage, campaigners are fighting for basic rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples. -
16 March 2007First civil unions in a changed Mexico + A prominent journalist in Mexico City was legally joined with his male partner in one of the first same-sex civil unions in the city yesterday.Antonio Mendina , 38, is one of the 1200 gay and lesbian people who have registered to go through the new legal ceremony, yet another sign of the changing nature of Mexican society.Last week 22-year-old Christian Chavez, a member of the hugely popular Mexican pop band RBD, revealed his homosexuality.
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15 March 2007Magistrate appeals against tribunal’s gay rights ruling 9 The Christian former magistrate who claimed unfair dismissal after he was told he could not pick and choose which adoption cases to rule on is to appeal.Andew McClintock claims that evidence given in his defence by a right-wing American academic, claiming that gay parents were bad for kids, was not given due consideration by an employment tribunal."Gay couples have human rights too," the tribunal said. -
15 March 2007Comment: Does religion breed homophobia? 3 There is no debate about the acceptance of homosexuality in Britain. -
14 March 2007LA gets first gay men baby clinic + A Los Angeles fertility clinic has launched the world's first programme dedicated to male couples wishing to become biological parents.While other centres have made headway into providing gay couples with biological children, The Fertility Institute is the first with a comprehensive programme covering each stage of the process.This includes psychological, legal, medical and surrogate issues, as well as care for both donor and patient. -
13 March 2007Gay marriage illegal in France, says court + France's highest court has ruled that the marriage of two men is unlawful and should be annulled.Stephane Charpin and Bertrang Charpentier were married in Begles, a small town in Bordeaux, in 2004.They are the only same-sex couple in France to have married, rather than undertaken a Civil Solidarity Pact.
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12 March 2007US state moves to allow gay adoptions + A Colorado bill granting adoption rights to same-sex couples and unmarried partners was pushed forward in a State House committee last week without a single witness testifying against it.Republican legislatures in 2003 and 2004 killed similar bills, but with Democrats in charge, the bill is headed toward passage.It was placed on the calendar of the House Health and Human Services Committee on last Thursday and passed by an 8-3 vote. -
12 March 2007Charity demand HIV legal loophole be closed + Terrence Higgins Trust has launched a new campaign to reduce discrimination against people who are perceived to have HIV - often partners, friends or family of those diagnosed with the condition.The current Disability Discrimination Act covers people who are diagnosed with the virus but doesn't protect those who experience discrimination based on the belief or perception by others that they are likely to have HIV. -
9 March 2007Malta delays transsexual’s wedding + The Maltese Director of Public Registry is continuing to resist the release of marriage banns for a transsexual woman and her male partner.Mr Justice Gino Camilleri ordered the director, Anthony Geraldi, to issue the banns on 12th February, on the grounds that the union between the transsexual and her partner did not conflict with any part of the Marriage Act, as she has now become a woman. -
6 March 2007Head of CPS gay network guilty of underage sex + A former senior manager at the Crown Prosecution Service has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenager.William Hollins, 42, also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine.His trial was due to start this morning at Nottingham Crown Court, but he admitted the offences before it began. -
5 March 2007Met investigate assault on Moscow pride activist + The Metropolitan police have confirmed that they are investigating an alleged assault at London's City Hall on Nicolas Alexeyev, the organiser of Moscow Pride.Last Wednesday, the mayors of London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow held their annual meeting.Yuri Luzhkov, the Moscow mayor, was asked several questions at a press conference about his decision to ban Moscow Pride last year. -
5 March 2007City manager sacked over gender reassignment + A Florida city commission voted to fire its city manager just days after he confirmed his plans to return to work after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.The Associated Press reports that the commission voted 5-2 to fire City Manager Steve Stanton at a meeting attended by more than 400 citizens on Feb. -
5 March 2007Lesbian wins tribunal case against Next 3 An employment tribunal has ruled that the retailer Next's failure to deal with a complaint of homophobic harassment amounted to unfair dismissal.A lesbian woman won her case after persistent taunting and abuse at the hands of co-workers led her to quit her job.Marlene Bielak, 34, told the tribunal that married couple Katrina and Neil Davies made no secret of their disgust for her gay lifestyle. -
2 March 2007Transsexual gets insurance hike after operation + A Swedish woman is outraged that her car insurance costs shot up following her gender-reassignment surgery.Carina Bladh from Linköping, central Sweden, became a woman at the end of last year, and at the same time bought a new Audi A6.She was shocked to discover that, as a woman, her annual premium was 1,200 kronor (over £87) more expensive. -
2 March 2007Soho bomber to stay in prison for 50 years 1 A High Court judge has ruled that the Soho nail bomber should not be considered for release for fifty years.David Copeland, now 30, terrorised London's minority communities for thirteen days in the spring of 1999.Bombs in Brixton and Brick Lane caused serious injuries.
