Jul 07, 2006   | COMMENTS     

HAVANA — The niece of leader Fidel Castro wants her countrymen to be more tolerant of homosexuality and bisexuality. In March, 43-year-old Mariela Castro, director of the government-funded National Center for Sex Education, promoted a television soap opera that scandalized many Cubans by depicting bisexuality in a sympathetic light, Reuters reported June 29. The controversial show told the story of a construction worker who leaves his wife and children for the man next door. Now Mariela Castro is campaigning for a law that would give transsexuals sex-change operations and hormonal therapy in addition to new identification documents with their changed gender. The proposed law, up for a December vote, would offer the surgery for free. Castro told Reuters she wants to bring the revolution her uncle fought 47 years ago to the issue of sexuality. “I want to bring the revolution’s humanity to those aspects of life that it hasn’t reached because of old prejudices,” she told Reuters.

trong class="aheaderBlue">Pope travels to Spain to ‘protect family’

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI appealed July 1 for peace in Middle East and for governments to help safeguard the traditional family structure. “I ask your prayer for all families, that they will live in accordance with their God-given vocation and benefit from just governmental policies that safeguard their fundamental role in society,” Benedict said Sunday, before a visit to Spain to attend a Catholic conference on families. The Vatican’s ties with Spain have been strained since the Socialists took office in 2004 with an agenda that has included legalizing gay marriage and making divorce easier. The overwhelmingly Catholic country is hosting the World Meeting of Families in the eastern coastal city of Valencia. Benedict is scheduled to travel to Valencia July 8 and meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

trong class="aheaderBlue">Report says S. Korean military must better protect gay soldiers

SEOUL, S. Korea — The South Korean Human Rights Commission wants military officials to protect gay solders vulnerable to abuse in the barracks, the Korea Times reported June 28. A government panel reviewed treatment of gay men in the military after a 23-year-old soldier complained in February that he was subjected to harsh treatment during his required military service.In a statement released June 28, the independent panel recommended that the Defense Minister improve standards of conduct and introduce more education programs on human rights and sexual harassment. The commission also urged military authorities to reprimand the soldier’s superiors. According to the soldier’s complaint, a counselor refused to help him unless he offered a photo of himself kissing or having sex with a male partner to prove his homosexuality. He also was forced to reveal how many times he had sex with  men.

trong class="aheaderBlue">First Czech couples register as partners

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Three gay couples were officially joined as registered partners as the country’s domestic partnership law went into effect on July 1, CeskeNoviny reported. Two male couples were joined in central Bohemia, and in north Moravia. A lesbian couple registered in Ostrava as well, the online news site reported. The first couple to wed were Josep and Karel. “It was wonderful,” Karel told CeskeNoviny, adding that he and Josef have lived together for seven years. “We’ve saved some money together. Now we are sure of not losing it if any of us passed away.” Parliament passed the measure this year, overriding President Vaclav Klaus’s veto. Under the law, same-sex partners can inherit property like married couples and are bound to support each other, but they cannot adopt children, are not eligible for pension benefits, or file taxes together.

trong class="aheaderBlue">Gay British sailors march in uniform at London Pride

LONDON (AP) — As usual, the Village People’s “In the Navy” rang out during London’s annual Gay Pride parade July 1. For 22 of the marchers, it was true. Twenty-two gay Royal Navy personnel marched in uniform for the first time in the annual Gay Pride parade. “To be quite honest, it’s a dream come true,” said Petty Officer Karen Surtees, a navy medic based in Gibraltar. “We can express who we are, what we are and wear our uniforms in pride today.” The British government lifted a ban on gays serving in the country’s armed forces in 2000 after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the restriction was a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, Equality Minister Ruth Kelly, a member of the consevative Catholic group Opus Dei, refused to participate in the event.