Fridae

British same-sex military couples get married quarters
The UK Ministry of Defence has announced that lesbian and gay personnel in the British military will be entitled to married quarters in December if they are in registered civil unions. Currently, only married heterosexual couples have access to the quarters. The new ruling would not, however, apply to unmarried heterosexual couples and gay partners who have not registered.

The Civil Partnerships Act, which takes effect on Dec. 5, will accord all partners in gay unions the same benefits as married couples.

The move is the latest in a string of pro-gay changes, which began in 2000 after a 1999 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights forced Britain to lift its ban on gay personnel.

Since then, sections of the armed forces have targeted lesbians and gay men for recruitment. In late August, soldiers marched in their uniforms at the Manchester Pride celebrations for the first time to encourage more members of the gay and lesbian community to sign up.

The new ruling is expected to further anger religious and conservative groups who are opposed to same-sex marriage and the Civil Partnership Act.

According to a Dec. 2004 press release issued by the Centre for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara, France, Germany and other European nations have lifted their bans against gays and lesbians, while others such as Albania, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine continue to prevent gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

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Same-sex marriage opponents lash out at Schwarzenegger
As gay rights activists and politicians have delayed sending Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's the same-sex marriage bill in a bid to change his mind, conservatives are at the same time lashing out at the governor for his explanation for turning down the measure that the state Legislature passed last week.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, a bill must be physically in the governor's possession before he can veto it. The governor's spokeswoman revealed that Schwarzenegger still planned to veto the bill.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco said on Monday that the Assembly's leadership doesn't plan to deliver the gay marriage bill to Schwarzenegger's desk until the Sept. 23 deadline as gay rights groups are planning activities each day until then. Those activities will highlight various segments of the population that could be affected by the bill, such as gay senior citizens, children of gay parents and different ethnic minority groups.

Opponents of same-sex marriage and groups supporting twin proposals to amend the state constitution to bar gay marriage have attacked Schwarzenegger for suggesting the issue should be settled by the courts or voters.

His suggestion differs from the widely held Republican mantra that the courts - since the Massachusetts court ruling allowing same-sex marriage - are ruled by "activist judges."

"It's not an issue for the courts � he's inviting judicial activism and that's what we're opposed to," Rich Ackerman, of the Pro-Family Legal Centre told Fox news.

"I've never heard of any Republican who's actually looking to the courts to decide," said Peter LaBarbera, head of Protect Marriage Illinois, which is trying to get a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in that state.

Meanwhile, Equality California (EC), the state's largest LGBT civil rights group, announced 'Twelve Days of Equality', a state-wide campaign aimed at showing Schwarzenegger same-sex couples and their families need greater protections than those provided for in the domestic partnership law, which the governor supports.

"The clock is now running, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a decision to make about his legacy," said EC Executive Director Geoffrey Kors.

"Marriage equality legislation now awaits the Governor and our community has an opportunity to let him know that hundreds of thousands of families need him to stand with us on the right side of history."

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Zanzibar proposes life imprisonment for gay men
A new bill has been drafted in the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar imposing stiffer penalties for homosexuality and lesbianism, reported the Ethiopia-based Addis Tribune.

Although homosexuality is already illegal under current laws, deputy attorney general Omar Makungu said the draft proposals would provide for a maximum life imprisonment sentence for anyone found guilty of sodomy and up to seven years jail for known lesbians.

The new law would also ban same sex marriages as Makungu said that the government wants to stop the practice becoming an accepted part of Zanzibari culture after noting that same sex marriages have taken place locally.

The report also quoted Makungu as telling the BBC Swahili service that the authorities have noted an increasing number of gay men and lesbians on the island - a key tourist destination along the East African coast.

Gay travel guide to China launched
Gay and lesbian travellers to China now have another resource at their fingertips as Utopia-Asia, an online travel resource site, launch their first printed travel guide covering 45 Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Xiamen, and Xian.

Titled The Utopia Guide to China, the guide includes listings of gay and gay friendly bars, discos, bookshops, spas, restaurants as well as spaces that are especially welcoming for gay and bisexual women. It also contains Chinese instructions for taxi drivers included for some of the most popular venues, and contains insights and recommendations from both locals and seasoned travellers.

The book is available for sale in printed and electronic form online at www.lulu.com/content/150561 and will be available in bookstores internationally and on popular online book retailers in October.

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