PONTIFICATING ON RIGHTS
On the same day the Vatican confirmed Pope Benedict will be visiting Britain in September, the Pontiff criticised the country’s Equality Bill saying it threatens religious freedoms and violates ‘natural law’. In a speech to 35 English and Welsh Catholic bishops, Benedict urged British Catholics to fight legislation that will effectively prevent religious organisations, schools and adoption agencies discriminating against people on the basis of their sexual orientation. According to Benedict the laws ‘impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs’ and said because the church offered the ‘truth’, it could not be accused of restricting the freedom of others.
POWELL BACKFLIP
Former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell has changed his mind on the US military’s controversial Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. The policy is currently the subject of a congressional review with President Barack Obama vowing to put an end to it during his State of the Union address earlier this month. Powell approved the DADT policy when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 but now says he fully supports the changes which have been presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee. ‘In the almost 17 years since the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,’ he said in a statement.
ITALIAN TRANS PRISON
GLBT organisations in Italy are applauding a move by the Tuscan city of Pozzale to open the world’s first transgender prison. If given the go-ahead, an existing prison will be modified to house approximately 30 inmates, the majority of whom are serving sentences for drug-related and sex work offences. The BBC reports that until now those prisoners have been held in women’s prisons where they are often segregated for their own safety.
GAY GARETH GETS OUT THERE
Since coming out publicly at the end of December, British Rugby legend Gareth Thomas is fast becoming a gay celebrity. Attitude magazine hosted a star-studded coming out party for the sportsman at London hot-spot Movida which was attended by Graham Norton, Peter Tatchell and Will Young among others. Thomas was also named last month as the 2010 patron for LGBT History Month. ‘I feel honoured to have been asked to be the patron of LGBT History Month,’ he said in a statement released shortly after the announcement. ‘I don’t want to just make this a token role however; I intend to be hands on within my role, not only to make a difference to others, but to also grow myself.’
GAY RIGHTS QUASHED IN MALAWI
A man has been arrested in Malawi for allegedly trying to put up gay rights posters in a main street of Blantyre, the country’s largest city. The posters reading ‘gay rights are human rights’ were said to have been produced in large numbers leading authorities to believe he and other gay rights activists in the country are being sponsored by international organisations. Police in Malawi are investigating the incident and the man is set to be charged with ‘conduct likely to cause a breach of peace’. Two Malawi men arrested for gross indecency while holding a wedding ceremony in December are still being held in custody after being refused bail twice. They will face 14 years in prison if convicted.
Amy Henderson
