Aussie gay man convicted of spreading HIV
A 37-year-old gay man in Brisbane has been convicted and jailed for 10 years for "deliberately" infecting a sex partner with HIV.
Reid claimed in a Brisbane District Court that the man who became infected had been aware of Reid's HIV infection and chose to have unprotected sex regardless. The man, however, testified that Reid had told him he had been tested for HIV antibodies and was uninfected. The pair had began a live-in sexual relationship which spanned several months after meeting in early 2003.
When asked if he had anything to say to the court, Reid responded: "I consider myself to be a good person, not a perfect person, but I think I've grown and matured through having a life-threatening illness."
"I consider myself to have grown into someone who is an asset to my friends, family employers and to myself.
"I only hope (the victim) grows and matures as much as I have."
Reid is said to be HIV positive since 1987.
While most law enforcement officials support HIV exposure laws like the one that lead to Reid's conviction, some HIV/AIDS advocates say the measures stigmatise HIV-positive people and criminalise any sexual activity by those infected with the virus. They also warn that as most HIV exposure laws are based on the fact that someone must know that he or she is infected in order to be charged with a crime, many people will forgo HIV antibody testing, which creates a public-health risk.
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Bottom pic: Director Ang Lee with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee, received the most nominations for the 63rd Golden Globe awards which were announced Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.
Based on a short story by Pulitzer winner Annie Proulx, the film picked up seven nominations, including best dramatic picture, one for Heath Ledger as best actor, Ang Lee as best director and Michelle Williams as best supporting actress, positioning itself as a key Academy Awards competitor.
The Ang Lee film has been considered a hot Oscar contender after the relatively low budget production made for about US$13 million won the top award at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Along with Ledger, best dramatic actor nominees included Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote and David Strathairn in Good Night, and Good Luck.
Other best drama contenders were The Constant Gardener, Good Night, and Good Luck, A History of Violence and Match Point.
Best dramatic film actress nominees included Maria Bello in A History of Violence, Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof, Charlize Theron in North Country, Ziyi Zhang in Memoirs of a Geisha and Felicity Huffman in Transamerica.
The Golden Globes winners, which will be announced on January 16, can signal likely contenders for the Oscars, Hollywood's top honour. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 31.
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Third public gay wedding held in Taipei
Two men got "married" in a public ceremony in Taipei last Saturday, coinciding with World Human Rights Day to promote public awareness about gay rights. The pair is the third couple in Taiwan to hold a publicised same-sex wedding ceremony at a five-star hotel.
Chen Chin-hsueh, a gay rights activist, "married" his partner who is known publicly as "Ah Wei" at a ceremony attended by families members and representatives from gay rights groups, according to local media reports.
The 33-year-old Chen, who helped found a gay rights group, said that they would rather their wedding ceremony be known as an "engagement ceremony" because same-sex unions are not recognised by the authorities.
He also told the media that he has willed NT$2 million to "Ah Wei" as there are no laws that would cover the surviving partner in a same-sex partnership. He added that he hoped for the city government to set up a "spouse registration system" to allow same-sex partners to share and enjoy these rights and obligations.
The subject of same-sex marriage was first discussed in 2001. In 2003, the government announced plans to make same-sex unions legal as part of its efforts to promote human rights legislation. At the time, it unveiled a draft bill that stated stated: "All people are entitled to the rights to get married and form families based on their free wills. The families formed by gays and lesbians can adopt children based on the law."
It was later abandoned as there was reportedly insufficient time in the legislative program for the law to be passed and a change in government.
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