Europride draws 360,000 to Germany


One of the biggest homosexual and lesbian gatherings in the world, Europride, held annually in European cities has so far drawn 360,000 people from across Europe this year, organisers said.

A parade, traditionally considered the highlight of the 10-day festival on Saturday, saw participants don outlandish costumes and included trucks converted into mobile discos decorated with giant condoms.

The parade for this 11th Europride, in the northern German city of Hamburg, took the theme of 'Love Breaks Barriers'.

One of the sponsors of the event was a local mayor who is openly gay. Europride last year was held in the northern English city of Manchester and next year will take place in Oslo, Norway.


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Gay marriage ban's language impact debated
John Hill



BATON ROUGE - The proposed Louisiana "Defense of Marriage" constitutional amendment bans not only same-sex marriages, but also prohibits conferring "the legal incidents" of marriage on same-sex unions.

The debate is whether the prohibition of "the legal incidents" of marriage might invalidate such existing practices as New Orleans' domestic partnership registry, domestic partnership health benefits offered by corporations or the contractual agreements gay and lesbian couples must sign for such things as medical power of attorney or protection of property.

The proposition does not enumerate what the "legal incidents" of marriage are, leaving a gap for courts to fill.

The gay marriage ban proposition, contained in House Bill 61, has been approved by the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Senate, but changes made in the Senate require the bill to go back to the House for concurrence. The remaining stumbling block: the Senate set the election for Sept. 18; House backers want it on the presidential election ballot on Nov. 5.


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Gay, lesbian groups accuse government of discrimination
By Caroline Hong
STAFF REPORTER


Two months of Gay and Lesbian Awakening Day (GLAD) events drew to a close yesterday with gay and lesbian college groups presenting the results of GLAD 2004 while criticizing government repression of sexual identity expression.

The nine-year-old event was organized by 13 college groups this month and last, and included events such as a film festival and a literary and artistic expression competition. The event has traditionally focused on spreading awareness and encouraging dialogue about gay issues.

In light of government actions against the gay community, however, such as the confiscation of magazines from gay bookstore Gin Gin's last year and the recent lawsuit against controversial feminist Josephine Ho (¶Û¨KÎB) for placing a bestiality link on her website, this year's GLAD organizers decided to speak out.

The groups yesterday advocated placing nude male photos in male restrooms as a symbolic attack on Article 235 of the Criminal Code (§§µÿ•¡∞ͶD™k), which states that anyone found distributing indecent audio, visual or written materials faces prosecution.


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Virginia's New Jim Crow
By Jonathan Rauch


On July 1 Virginia takes a big step backward, into the shadow of Jim Crow.

I do not write those words lightly or rhetorically. Although I'm an advocate of same-sex marriage, I have taken care not to throw around motive-impugning words such as bigotry, hate or homophobia. I have worked hard to avoid facile comparisons between the struggle for gay marriage and the struggle for civil rights for African Americans; the similarities are real, but so are the differences.

Above all, I have been careful to distinguish between animus against gay people and opposition to same-sex marriage. No doubt the two often conjoin. But millions of Americans bear no ill will toward their gay and lesbian fellow citizens, yet still draw back from changing the boundaries of society's most fundamental institution. The ban on gay marriage in 49 states (Massachusetts, of course, being the newly minted exception) may well be unfair and unwise, as I believe it to be. Yet people of good conscience can maintain that although all individuals are equal, all couples are not.

If I seem to be splitting hairs, that is because Virginia -- where my partner and I make our home -- is not splitting hairs. It has instead taken a baseball bat to civic equality, thanks to the so-called Marriage Affirmation Act.


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100,000 Estimated At Boston Gay Pride Parade

BOSTON -- A drag queen in a wedding dress at the Boston Pride parade Saturday said court approval of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts means "we're not invisible."

Riding on a rainbow wedding float in the gay and lesbian parade, he added, "We're first-class citizens, like everyone else."

A crowd estimated by police at up to 100,000 people grabbed necklaces and trinkets thrown from floats as couples in tuxedos and gowns danced to the "Chapel of Love." The 34th annual march came almost a month after gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts.

Last year, the state's highest court ruled that denying marriage rights to homosexuals violated their civil rights.


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Walking the talk
New Open Circle congregation built around diversity, social activism
By Lisa Marshall, Camera Staff Writer


Just about everything about Boulder's new Open Circle Unitarian Universalist congregation is unconventional:

Sunday services are at 4:30 p.m., so people can attend another service, or go for a hike, earlier in the day.

There is no minister, so members take turns leading the sermon.

They don't call themselves a "church," a Christian-based word they fear would alienate some members.