China HIV Ban Lifted
In a move towards greater human rights, China has lifted its ban on HIV positive people travelling into the country. The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations welcomed the announcement and hoped that it would inspire other nations to follow suit. AFAO Executive Director Don Baxter expected the policy move to encourage a flow-on effect to the region. ‘For many positive people, there is no choice but to lie about their HIV status if they wish to freely travel for work or pleasure.’ Mr Baxter said. According to UNAIDS, 50 countries from across the globe still enforce travel restrictions on HIV positive travellers.
Gay Election Victories
Gay representation in the British Parliament remained fairly stable this year despite a controversial lead-up to the elections. Three new gay MPs entered the parliament while four members were ousted from the house, bringing the total of out gay members from 16 to 15. Outspoken Tory candidate Philip Lardner, who was suspended from the party for saying gay people are ‘not normal’, came third in his electorate. However, contentious Tory front-benchers Julian Lewis and Chris Grayling were re-elected despite their disparaging comments on the LGBT community, Pinknews reported. Two per cent of the UK parliament is now made up of openly gay MPs while women make up 22 percent; two of whom are lesbians.
Bush Supports Marriage Rights
Former US first lady Laura Bush has distanced herself from George W. Bush and his controversial stance on same-sex marriage and abortion. CNN’s Larry King questioned Mrs Bush earlier this month on her stance while she was promoting her new memoir ‘Spoken from the Heart.’ Mrs Bush said she believed gay marriage rights were a generational issue and were coming to the fore. ‘… I (also) know that when couples are committed to each other and love each other, they ought to have the same rights that everyone has,’ Mrs Bush said.
Baltic Pride Violence
Lithuania’s first pride march was marked by violence and intolerance as protestors reportedly threw rocks and fireworks at marchers in early May. The BBC reported hundreds of police secured the Baltic pride event against over 1,000 demonstrators in the capital, Vilnius. The event was already surrounded by controversy when a court banned the march due to security reasons. An appeals court later overturned the decision and paved the way for the reported hundreds of marchers who paraded along the city’s Neris River. As a majority Roman Catholic country, Lithuania has been repeatedly condemned by rights groups for its neglect of sexual minorities.
UK Mourns Activist
The ‘father’ of the UK’s gay rights movement died in late April after years of battling leukaemia. 82-year-old Antony Grey died at the King Edward VII Hospital in London on April 30. The activist and author campaigned for gay equality in 1958 in which he fought for decriminalising homosexuality. Mr Grey was regarded as Britain’s first gay rights activist for his pivotal role in pushing for the 1967 Sexual Offences Act that led to modern law reform. PinkNews reported many tributes with one acknowledging Mr Grey as a ‘one-man reform movement prior to 1967’.
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World News Briefs – May
World News Briefs – April
Benn Dorrington
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