FEBRUARY 25.2006 • Q-NOTES
Global
Soulforce is visionary in that it has become
clear we cannot win this battle with leg
islative actions alone.”
White, the former ghostwriter for evan
gelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, will
embark on a fall speaking tour for his
forthcoming book, tentatively titled
“Religion Gone Bad: A Call to Resist
Fundamentalism.”
Gay families and egg rolls
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White
House Easter Egg Roll is held every year on
the White House lawn. It’s open to the
public and always a major media event.
This year Family Pride Coalition, the only
national non-profit organization exclusive
ly dedicated to securing equality for LGBT
parents and their families, is planning to be
a visible part of the celebration.
On Easter Monday, April 17, when the
White House lawn is opened for the Easter
Egg Roll, Family Pride wants the first 1000
families onto the grounds to be LGBT fam
ilies. In a press release they note, “This is
not a protest, but rather a way to let our
fellow citizens across the country see who
we really are. If you’re an LGBT family with
at least one child 7 or younger — we need
you to attend!"
The assistance of volunteers is critical.
“We need people to stand in line on the
Friday night before the Egg Roll to get tick
ets for families who want to attend but
can’t stand in line. We need people to pro
vide support to those standing in line. We
need people to help dispense tickets and t-
shirts to families.”
For more information or to sign-up to
help, visit www.familypride.org/eggroll.
Internarional >
Gay moms recognized in court
JERUSALEM, Israel — In a precedent
setting ruling handed down Feb. 13, Israel’s
Family Court recognized a same-sex couple
as the joint parents of their children. The
decision followed a High Court of Justice
finding last year that same-sex parents have
the same rights as opposite-sex parents.
The court held that Tal and Avital
Yarous-Hakak must receive adoption
papers listing them as the mothers of their
three children, who were conceived
through in vitro fertilization over the past
15 years. The decision is a vindication for
the couple. They were turned down by the
-Family Court in 1997 when they initially
sought to adopt each other’s children.
Although the court did grant the couple
guardianship of each other’s children, they
argued to the High Court that the finding
did not go far enough. The High Court’s
decisive ruling left the Family Court with
little wiggle room, setting up the landmark
decision. In separate legal news, a lawsuit
seeking full marriage rights for same-sex
couples is currently working its way
toward the High Court.
China issues HIV/AIDS guidelines
BEIJING, China — More than two
decades into the AIDS epidemic and after
years of mounting international criticism,
the Chinese government has issued it first
official guidelines for stemming the spread of
the disease. The new regulations also detail
the rights, protections and requirements for
those who are living with HIV/AIDS.
A new event.
A new date.
A new location.
PRIDE
Charlotte
2006
The Lesbian & Gay
Community Center
...scfvna the Lesbwa Gay, bisexual 4 Transgender
Community of Greater Chariotte
According to the official Xinhua News
Agency the law goes into effect March 1. It
mandates free HIV testing and treatment
for the poor and pregnant women, pro
tects HIV-positive and AIDS-affected
Chinese from employment and medical
care discrimination and requires them to
disclose their.status to spouses, sex part
ners and doctors.
In January the government estimated
there were 650,000 HIV-positive people in
China, including 75,000 with full-blown
AIDS. The numbers have been challenged
by some international health agencies that
say Chinese leaders have under-reported
the actual figures for years.
Film board okays gay cowboys
SINGAPORE — Bucking the trend
among Muslim nations, Singapore’s film
censorship board approved “Brokeback
Mountain” (pictured from film) for broad
cast in its entirety. The decision surprised
even the film’s distributor. In a statement,
the board said it approved the movie
because it did not “promote or glamorize
the [gayl lifestyle.” The movie will be
restricted to viewers over the age of 21.
Because homosexuality is illegal in
Singapore, punishable by caning and up to
two years in prison, the decision to show
“Brokeback Mountain” indicates that the
film board may be moving away from hard
line censorship of all gay themes. (For exam
ple, a scene in 2002’s “The Hours” was cut
because it showed two women kissing.)
The shift in Singapore stands in con
trast to countries like Malaysia, where the
nation’s largest film distributor didn’t even
bother to ask for approval to release
“Brokeback Mountain,” China and the
United Arab Emirates, both of which
banned the movie outright.
Gay Arabs sentenced to prison
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates —
Five-year prison sentences have been
handed down for II of the 26 men arrest
ed last year at what police called a “gay
wedding.” The men were charged with
homosexuality, a crime under Sharia law,
although police acknowledged that none
of them were engaged in a sexual act when
the event was raided.
Acting on a tip, police descended on a
hotel in Ghantout, a desert region on the
Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway, in November
2005 and found what they described as
about a dozen men dressed as brides and
a similar number in male Arab dress. The
case attracted worldwide attention when
an Interior Ministry official stated that the
accused could be forced to receive male
hormone shots.
Lawyers familiar with the case say the
prison sentences are likely to be appealed.
The 15 men who were acquitted are still
being held until the government decides
whether to have them retried.
Mr & Miss Gay USA Classique Contest
March24th-26di ' ***
- #
# /A\ t
aj
I _For more information contact:
Mark Madison at: nmisaclassiqiic^ altoo.com
JeffReevesat:jeffreevcs^vebt\’.net-.
mm.
f/imm
V; ’ 101 North Center St. • 1 lickory, NC • 828.322.8103
, I lost Hotel:
■ Ramada Inn • 828.465.11 (K) • S50+tax