Sep 23, 2005   | COMMENTS     

ROME — The common sight of half-naked models in Italian advertisements is no match for a kiss between two fully dressed men, which ignited controversy in the capital this week, the London Observer reported. Two ads that feature men kissing and groping on a sofa have photographer Oliviero Toscani in the midst of a contentious debate as gay rights already are being hotly argued in the primarily Catholic nation. One poster, for men’s clothing line Ra-Re, shows a man clutching another man’s crotch, and another shows the same model lying on a sofa and pulling his boyfriend on top of him for a kiss, according to the Observer. “These posters are vulgar and a bad example for our children,” a spokesperson for the parents association MOIGE told the newspaper. The group wants the ads banned. Toscani told the Observer, “There’s a big discussion going on about homosexuality in Italy so I thought it was the right time to do something like this. I don’t think it’s vulgar. It’s just two men having fun together.”

Latvians take first step toward gay marriage ban

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — The Latvian parliament took the first step toward establishing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages last week, voting in favor of sending the proposed amendment to parliamentary committee for review. Fifty-five lawmakers in the 100-seat Saeima, or parliament, voted in favor of sending the proposed amendment for review, one voted against, and 44 lawmakers either abstained or were absent. If the committee approves the bill, it will go back to the Saeima for a vote. Same-sex marriage is already banned under Latvian law, but proponents of the bill say a constitutional amendment would strengthen the ban in the face of greater acceptance of same-sex unions in other European Union countries. Forced underground during nearly five decades of Soviet occupation ending in 1991, Latvia’s gay activists have been struggling to find a political voice and have made few public calls to legalize same-sex marriage.

Argentine activists gear up to fight for gay union bill

BUENOS AIRES — Gay rights advocates are drawing the media spotlight to a set of young twins and their two fathers in the battle for a congressional bill that would grant rights to gay couples, Inter Press Service reported. The bill would legalize same-sex civil unions and also offer such couples inheritance and adoption rights so far limited to married couples. Set to be introduced this month before the Argentine Congress, the bill, if approved, would make the country the first in Latin America to legally recognize gay couples nationwide. Gay couple Martin Farach and Andrew Colton appeared before the media with their 5-year-old twins, Lucas and Julia, to promote the Argentine bill. The men met 19 years ago, married in Canada and live both in the United States, where Colton is from, and Argentina, where Farach was born. They contend life “has become unbearable” in the U.S. since George W. Bush was elected president, and they may settle in Buenos Aires permanently.

Millionaire anti-gay campaigner buys New Zealand newspaper ads

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A millionaire businessman spent thousands of dollars to buy newspaper advertisements encouraging voters to oppose the government due to its support for gay couples, GayNZ.com reported. Businessman John Sax spent at least $24,000 on ads in newspapers from Auckland to Invercargill last week, including in the ads a listing of how representatives voted on civil unions, prostitution and the Care of Children Act, which acknowledges parenting rights of same-sex couples. The Labour government won a narrow election on Saturday, but did not win a majority and is currently negotiating with smaller parties to form a coalition government. Last year, Sax promoted an anti-civil union letter to government lawmakers by Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard, former Air NZ CEO Ralph Norris and others. “I think Labour has done an excellent job of economic management,” Sax told the NZ Herald, according to GayNZ.com. “But when it comes back to social policy it’s quite different.”

Survey finds Vietnamese youth reject gays, but know about AIDS

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The average age of the first sexual encounter in Vietnam is 19.6, and only 60 percent of Vietnamese youth know about homosexuality, according to the first national survey on youth, released last week. Four out of five Vietnamese who know about homosexuality said they would not accept a gay person as a friend, according to the survey of 7,584 people between the ages of 14 and 25. Ninety-seven percent said ...