Iran to execute homosexuals

The Iranian government confirmed July 10 that a man was recently executed by stoning for committing adultery and that 20 more men would soon be executed on morality violations, which include homosexuality.

A judiciary spokesperson, Alireza Jamshidi, said that a death sentence by stoning had been carried out near the city of Takestan despite an order by the chief of the judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, not to permit such executions.

He said the 20 additional executions were for such things as “rape, insulting religious sanctities and laws and homosexuality.” Hanging is the most common method of execution in Iraq and is often done in public.

In May, Iranian police arrested about 1,000 people during a morality crackdown.

Jamshidi said 15 more men were being tried on similar charges and could receive death sentences.

Drag Pope draws protests

A controversial sculpture depicting Pope Benedict in drag was removed from an Italian art exhibition July 11 after the Catholic Anti-Defamation League protested and threatened to bring charges for defaming a head of state.

The sculpture, titled “Miss Kitty,” shows the Pope in a blond bob wig wearing nothing but a stole, a pair of panties and thigh-high stockings and was part of an exhibition exploring the relationship between homosexuality and art.

The group expressed outrage at “the vulgar offense against Christ’s vicar and the feelings of Roman Catholics.”

Organizers of the Milan exhibit postponed the opening by three days to remove the sculpture and another controversial piece and have withdrawn the catalogues in order to issue new ones without the photos of the two offending exhibits.

“It was made clear to us that it would be better to remove the pieces,” curator Eugenio Viola said.

Viola also said the exhibit was intended to be provocative.

The exhibition runs through Sept. 16 in the Palazzo della Ragione.

Lesbian seeks asylum in Canada

A Mexican lesbian is getting a second chance at refugee status after entering Canada to elude a man she left for another woman.

Alma Cecilia Garcia Perez told the Federal Court of Canada her ex-boyfriend in Mexico is looking to harm her after she broke up with him to be with her lover, Maria Guadalupe Escobedo Guarneros.

“The claimants asserted that their lesbian relationship had led Ms. Perez’s ex-boyfriend to threaten them with death,” Justice Anne Mactavish said in a decision ordering a new hearing.

The women also claimed the ex-boyfriend “physically and sexually assaulted each of them, causing them to fear for their lives in Mexico.”

The couple relocated to Canada in 2005 and filed unsuccessful claims, which were appealed to the Federal Court. Toronto’s immigration and refugee board rejected their claims, saying Perez “fabricated the allegations of threats to embellish her claim.”

Mactavish said the board gave little weight to a Mexican medical report documenting the injuries allegedly suffered by Perez during the sex assault and ordered that the couple undergo a new hearing by a different panel.

The new hearing is scheduled to begin in the fall.

Activist killed in S. Africa

The South African gay and lesbian community is looking for answers in the brutal murders of gay and lesbian activist Sizakele Sigasa and her friend Salome Masooa, in Soweto.

The bodies of the two were found in a field near Meadowlands raped, tortured and murdered on July 8.

Sigasa, who worked for the Positive Women’s Network, was found with her hands and ankles tied with three gunshot wounds to the head and collarbone.

Prudence Mabele, the spokesperson for The Positive Women’s Network, says they believe the killings were a hate crime against lesbians.

Police say they have no evidence to prove it was a hate crime but there should be an arrest soon.

A memorial service was held for the two in Soweto on July 12.

South African non-governmental organizations are calling for hate-crime legislation, which covers, among other things, hate speech, racism and murder.

Actor to Singapore: Grow up

Sir Ian McKellen recently urged Singapore to overturn laws that categorize homosexual acts illegal or risk alienating gay performers.

The gay British star of stage and screen believes the anti-gay legislation, which dates back to the days when the country was under British rule, should be abolished as it deters gay tourism to the country.

“Just treat us with respect like we treat everybody else and the world will be a better place,” he said. “It’s about time Singapore grew up, I think, and realized that gay people are here to stay.”

Milan hosts Versace tribute

A ballet titled “Thank You, Gianni, With Love,” was performed July 15 at La Scala in Milan as part of a series of events marking the 10th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death.

Versace was gunned down outside his Miami Beach, Fla., mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, who killed himself a few days later.

Versace’s sexy and daring clothes made him a favorite among rockers, Hollywood stars and other celebrities.

The ballet was written by Maurice Bejart, who enjoyed a close friendship with Versace, and featured stage costumes designed by Versace over the years.

Other events commemorating Versace’s death included an exhibit of his sketches and theater costumes, which were installed on Milan streets, and the establishment of a scholarship in his honor at the European Institute of Design in Milan.

Sodomy charges ruled discriminatory

Hong Kong’s highest court on July 17 upheld a ruling that charges against two gay men for having sex in a car was unfair and discriminatory.

The men, Yau Yuk-lung Zigo and Lee Kam-chuen, were arrested under a law that made sodomy illegal anywhere other than in a private place.

The territory’s Court of Final Appeal supported a lower court in its decision that the two men charged with engaging in sodomy in a car could not be prosecuted because the law did not apply equally to heterosexuals or lesbians.

Chief Justice Andrew Li said the law under which the two men were prosecuted was discriminatory and unconstitutional because it only applied to gay men.

The ruling was the latest victory by gay-rights activists over the territory’s laws on homosexual behavior. Hong Kong’s High Court last year ruled that a law making gay sex under the age of 21 illegal and punishable with life imprisonment was unconstitutional.