Ireland poised for civil partnerships

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced July 25 that the government will introduce legislation to give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples.

The legislation would be similar to Britain’s civil-partnership law in that it gives all the rights of marriage to gay and lesbian couples but not the name.

“This government is committed to providing a more supportive and secure legal environment for same-sex couples,” Ahern said.

The announcement was made at a time when the country’s Supreme Court is preparing to hear a case involving an Irish lesbian couple who were married in Canada and want the marriage recognized at home.

Last December, a lower court ruled that the marriage couldn’t be recognized under the constitution.

More recently, a bill that would have allowed civil unions was defeated in Parliament. The bill was introduced by Labor Party spokesperson Brendan Howlin and was modeled after Britain’s civil-partner law. At the time, Ahern said the bill equated civil partnerships with marriage and voted against the measure.

Ahern has since admitted that same-sex couples need legal protections.

Recent public-opinion polls show that 84 percent of the country favors some recognition of same-sex couples while 53 percent would allow gay couples to marry.

Mexico prisons allow gay visits

Mexico City’s prison system recently began allowing gay conjugal visits under advisement from the country’s National Human Rights Commission.

“The Mexico City department of prisons and rehabilitation has allowed the first conjugal visit to an inmate with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual,” the government-funded rights commission said in a press release, calling the move “an important step in terms of nondiscrimination regarding sexual preference.”

Many Mexican prisons allow inmates to receive conjugal visits, and most do not require the visitor to be married to the inmate. In many prisons, special rooms are set aside so that inmates and visitors can be alone.

The decision was prompted by a complaint filed by a man who said he wanted to visit his companion at the Santa Martha Acatitla prison on the city’s east side and claimed that prison authorities had denied his request because the two are gay.

On Feb. 8, the commission ruled that was discrimination, and prison authorities decided to allow the visit.

The commission said it still wants the policy change to be set down in writing and applied to all city prisons.

Despite opposition from conservative and religious groups, Mexico City’s government has made a series of stands in recent months on social issues like abortion, gay marriage and prostitution.

Mexico City has already legalized gay civil unions and abortion, and has proposed legalizing prostitution.

Couple arrested for kissing

Two gay men were recently arrested and charged with lewd conduct for kissing in front of the Colosseum in Rome.

Roberto L., 27, and Michele M., 28, were arrested and taken to a police station, where they were held for several hours. They were released after they were issued a summons to appear in court.

The two men could be sentenced to up to two years in prison if convicted.

Italian GLBT civil-rights group Arcigay called the incident an outrage and accused the police of homophobia. The group also called for a “national gay kiss-in” to protest the arrest at the Colosseum.

Police denied the accusations of homophobia, but were unable to provide evidence that any opposite-sex couple had ever been arrested for a similar kiss at the tourist spot.

Italy’s health minister, Livia Turco, called the arrests a national embarrassment.

Arcigay has hired a lawyer for the couple, saying that the two had only shared a gesture of affection after a night out.

Both Arcigay and Turco have demanded the charges be dropped and that police issue an apology to the two men.

Lesbian fails to win election bid

The first openly gay candidate in Japanese national politics has vowed to continue to fight for minority rights after failing to win a seat in upper-house elections July 29.

Kanako Otsuji, 32, had campaigned in front of rainbow-colored flags, with loudspeakers declaring to passersby that she was a lesbian.

“I hope to continue until I see the day that we look back and say, ‘This is a historic day in the history of sexual minorities,’” Otsuji said in a statement July 30. “We will remember this day because it is the day we grew stronger.”

She disclosed her sexual orientation in 2005 and married her longtime partner, Maki Kimura, in a non-legal commitment ceremony.

She had vowed to promote a more diverse society and seek laws to prohibit discrimination.

Gays in Estonia to march

Police in Estonia have repealed their ban on a gay pride march in the capital city of Tallinn.

In July, police said they would allow the march only to take place in an area far from the city center because of security concerns.

GLBT-rights groups and several gay members of the European Parliament lobbied the president and prime minister to overrule the police. An agreement was finally reached on July 30 where the gay community would hire security guards to maintain order.

Last year’s pride parade was rushed by anti-gay protesters who hurled stones and eggs at the 500 marchers and then began beating participants.

This year’s march will be held on Aug. 11 with GLBT-rights leaders from all over Europe planning to march in the parade as a show of solidarity.

Lube introduced to block HIV

An Australian company recently announced that it has developed a lubricant that promises to block both HIV and the HSV-2 genital herpes viruses.

Melbourne-based Starpharma told the International AIDS Society conference in Sydney that tests on lab animals have shown that its SPL7013 microbicide gel is between 85- and 100-percent effective at deactivating both viruses.

Lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Paull said that human clinical trials are now under way in Australia, Kenya and the United States. Early results of a second small-scale trial, presented at the conference, show it to be safe and well tolerated in healthy men.

The gel, tentatively called VivaGel, is also being tested in the United States as a contraceptive, and Paull said it would be most useful to halt the spread of HIV among heterosexuals in sub-Saharan Africa.

In July, a top condom seller acquired the right to produce condoms coated with VivaGel, Starpharma said in a statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave VivaGel fast-track status last year due to its potential to block AIDS and herpes among women.

Starpharma also said the National Institutes of Health granted the company $20.3 million to help develop its potential against HIV.

Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.