Hearing for Fired Nurse to Last Through Fall


A hearing for a former Carle Hospital worker, Lynn Sprout, who claims she was fired for being gay, could last through the end of the summer.

Sprout was fired two years ago and says it was because she took too much time off to care for her ailing same-sex partner. The hospital says it was because of poor job performance.

Sprout told WCIA 3 News, "My hopes were by tonight [Friday} it would have been over, so I`m very disappointed we still have a long way to go."

Kathy Howell of Carle Foundation Hospital, "It`s an important effort we have here, and an important issue before the City of Urbana, and we`re committed to following it through until the end."


~

British queer rights group comes out against Beenie Man
Olivia Leigh Campbell, Observer staff reporter
The British queer rights group OutRage! has called on the London Metropolitan Police to investigate and if necessary take action to prevent Jamaican dancehall deejay Beenie Man from performing in London next week.


Beenie Man is scheduled to perform at the Ocean nightclub in Hackney next Thursday June 24, but OutRage! is seeking to have the artiste arrested on charges of solicitation to murder, incitement to murder and words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. The calls were based primarily on the blatant anti-homosexual content of his songs, which the group quoted in a letter to the Diversity Directorate at Scotland Yard, but OutRage! also cited the recent murder of the president of Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) Brian Williamson as part of the motivation behind the calls.

"Beenie Man's UK concert will take place just two weeks after the horrific murder of Jamaican Gay Activist Brian Williamson, who was hacked to death in Kingston. His murder occurred in an atmosphere of homophobic hatred stirred up by the anti-gay dancehall lyrics of singers like Beenie Man," said the letter, addressed to Scotland Yard's Carl Wonfor.


~

Gay Marriage Amendment Likely To Reach Montana Voters In November
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Helena , Montana) A conservative Christian group collecting signatures to have a proposed amendment banning gay marriage placed on the ballot in Montana this November said Friday that it had almost double the number of names it needs.

The Montana Family Foundation says it has just over 70,000 petition signatures. The group needed to collect 41,020 signatures, including signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in 28 of the state's 56 counties   to get its Constitutional Initiative placed on the November ballot. 

Election officials now must verify the authenticity of the signatures and forward the totals to the secretary of state's office for a final tally.

If the measure is certified it would only need a simple majority of voters to amend the state Constitution.


~

Czech parliament to discuss legislation on same-sex partnerships

The Czech parliament on Friday gave gays a boost by agreeing to discuss a draft law to grant certain legal rights to same-sex partners, officials said. Having turned down similar legislation proposed for debate several times in the past, deputies voted 72-49 to allow the draft to go into a second reading. Out of 139 deputies present in the 200-member lower chamber, 18 abstained.

If enacted, the legislation would allow couples who register their union with authorities to enjoy rights in areas such as inheritance and health care that are similar to those granted now to straight married couples. The draft does not allow marriage or adoption of children by same-sex partners.

"The draft is a compromise," said Jiri Hromada, a leading gay activist. "It grants basic rights. In that sense we're satisfied." Hromada said he planned to participate in the debate on the draft in a parliamentary committee, scheduled to begin in September. The final vote could come by the end of October, he said. A number of other European countries already have recognized same-sex unions.


~

Homosexuals Hold Festival in Seoul

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's homosexuals on Saturday held an annual festival in downtown Seoul.

The "Korea Queer Culture Festival," which was held for the fourth time since 2000, was attended by 150 gays and lesbians of the country, despite rainy weather.