Law
- Law
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22 February 2007University’s first ever chair in gay law + Two philanthropists in America have donated over $1m to UCLA to establish an academic chair dedicated to sexual orientation law and public policy.The chair, at the prestigious university's law school, is thought to be the first of its kind in the world.John McDonald and Rob Wright donated the money to endow the position. -
22 February 2007US employment law protects gay kids at school + A state Supreme Court in the United States has ruled that laws protecting LGB adults from discrimination at work can be applied to schoolchildren.The New Jersey court was ruling on a case brought in 1999 by a gay teenager who suffered persistent abuse and harassment at school because of his sexual orientation.They ruled that the school must take reasonable steps to stop harassment under the terms of the state's anti-discrimination law. -
21 February 2007French court blocks lesbian adoption + An attempt by a French mother to allow her lesbian partner to adopt her child has failed.The Appeals Court in Paris ruled yesterday that the only way the mother could legally allow her partner to adopt the child would be to renounce her own parental rights.If the lesbian couple were allowed to marry, then they could share parental responsibility. -
21 February 2007American lesbians marry across the border + A couple from Texas have become the first non-Mexicans to take advantage of a new law that recognises same-sex couples.Maria Carreon Lara, 39, and Amparo Maldonado, 24, of Midland, Texas, travelled to the Mexican state of Coahuila, currenly the only state in the country to have passed such a law.Mexico City will also recognise gay unions from next month. -
21 February 2007Air Force rape trial exposes Don’t Ask Don’t Tell 5 A captain in the US Air Force charged with drugging and raping four men says they are lying to avoid being exposed as gay.Capt. -
20 February 2007Hundreds of couples register in NJ + Yesterday in New Jersey hundreds of gay couples were given the same rights as married straight couples, and hundreds have joined in civil unions in the first 24 hours.Civil unions offer the same legal advantages as marriage, but not the title, and were given automatically to any same-sex couple who had already been married or joined in civil unions elsewhere.Couples who had not been joined previously could apply for the licence. -
20 February 2007Lesbian couple arrested for non-violent protest + Two women were removed by police yesterday from the headquarters of American Christian pressure group Focus on the Family as part of a non-violent gay rights protest.Dotti Berry and Robynne Sapp of Blaine, Washington, entered the evangelical organisation's headquarters in Colorado to join a regularly scheduled tour.Once inside, the two women requested a meeting with James Dobson, who heads Focus on the Family. -
19 February 2007HIV privacy threatened by NHS database 7 People with HIV will have details of their names, treatments and status placed on a central national register if government plans for a new medical database go ahead.Sensitive personal information could be handed over without the consent of patients or doctors, a top computer scientist has warned.Cambridge University Professor Ross Anderson revealed how during the 1990s the NHS secretly created a national register of everyone being treated for HIV. -
16 February 2007Lesbian couple lose pub court case 1 A Hertfordshire landlady accused of excluding two lesbian police officers from her pub on homophobic grounds was cleared of a public order offence on Tuesday.Magistrates in St. -
16 February 2007Jamaican mob terrorise gays 28 Three gay men were stoned by a huge mob in a homophobic attack in Jamaica this Wednesday.Police came to rescue the men from a pharmacy in Saint Andrew Parish, where they had been hiding for almost an hour.An angry crowd had gathered outside the pharmacy, hurling insults and threatening to kill the men. -
16 February 2007Faith and homophobia conference tomorrow 1 A ground-breaking conference on "Faith, Homophobia and Human Rights" will take place tomorrow, Saturday 17th February, in London's East End.It comes as Anglican leaders meet in Tanzania to debate the church's position on gay people - a highly controversial issue for the Anglican communion.The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM), who are coordinating the conference, have secured sponsorship and support from over 50 prominent organisations. -
16 February 2007Malta transsexual given permission to marry 2 A judge in Malta has ordered government officials to issue the appropriate documentation to permit a transsexual woman to get married.The court's ruling is the first of its kind in the country, which joined the EU in 2004.The decision, taken yesterday, confirmed that as the woman had undergone gender reassignment surgery, her birth certificate should be changed to reflect her sex as legally female. -
15 February 2007Gang of teenagers sentenced for gay abuse 1 Four teenage boys who subjected a gay couple to a sustained harassment and abuse have pleaded guilty to public order offences.The children, aged between 14 and 16, followed the two men around a branch of Marks Spencer in Beckenham, Kent, hurling abuse at them and threatening them with physical violence.A magistrate has given one of the boys a conditional discharge and another a referral order. -
14 February 2007Transgender summit a first for Ireland 2 An event being held in Belfast today aims to increase awareness of the existence of transgender and transsexual people in Ireland.The Transgender Symmetry conference is the first time such a gathering has been seen on either side of the Irish border.Richard O'Brien, presenter of TV show The Crystal Maze and star and writer of musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, is attending the event. -
14 February 2007Gaydar founder died of multiple injuries + An autopsy was carried out yesterday on Gary Frisch, the co-founder of gay dating website Gaydar.Mr Frisch was discovered in the street on Saturday afternoon outside his eighth floor Battersea apartment. -
12 February 2007Gay harassment victim awarded £120,000 1 An employment tribunal in Glasgow has awarded huge damages to a gay man victimised at work.32-year-old Jonah Ditton was a media sales manager for CP Publishing Ltd for only eight days, yet the nakedly homophobic behaviour of his boss is reflected in the compensation of almost £120,000 he was awarded.This is the largest award ever for a case of sexual orientation discrimination.
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12 February 2007Russia says it backs gay rights 4 Despite banning Moscow Gay Pride last year, the Russian government has sent out a message of commitment to the rights of sexual minorities.In its capacity as current Chairman of the Committee of Ministers for the Council of Europe, the Russian Federation has stated that sexual minorities do have the right to freedom of expression and assembly, according to RainbowNetwork.com.They added that the police have a duty to protect such demonstrations when they take place. -
12 February 2007Court bans gay partner health insurance + An appeals court in Michigan has banned public organisations from providing health insurance to partners of gay employees.The decision has caused outrage amongst American gay rights organisations.Last Friday Michigan amended its voter-approved ban on gay marriage to incorporate a ruling that prohibits universities and government bodies from recognising same-sex unions in the provision of health benefits. -
12 February 2007Canadian cops seek out gay recruits + Toronto police held a recruiting session in the city's gay village Saturday afternoon in an effort to diversify its ranks.According to the Canadian Press, the city's police service has made efforts to diversify by recruiting officers who reflect the variety of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds found across the city.Constable Gail Steed of the police employment unit told CP that the information sessions for the gay community are a natural extension of that outreach.
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9 February 2007Kids Pride supporter gets email death threats 2 An academic who supported the rights of kids under 16 to take part in Amsterdam's Gay Pride parade has received a flood of death threats.Gert Hekma, Professor of Gay Lesbian Studies at the University of Amsterdam, was not involved in the plan to allow gay kids to take part in the annual boat parade."I had only expressed my opinion as an academic that it seemed to me to be crazy that the legal age of consent is 16 years when children so much younger are now coming out the closet," he said.
