Research to focus on housing issues for Welsh LGBs
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


LGB people in Wales who have had problems with housing are set to be the focus of new research, which its organisers claim is a first of the kind for the UK.

Commissioned by Stonewall Cymru and Triangle Wales, and funded by the Welsh Assembly, the research seeks to establish the housing needs of LGB people in the country, where equality issues are often overlooked in relation to England or Scotland.

Additionally, the study, completed by Spark Research, is hoping to highlight what statutory and regulatory requirements Welsh social housing providers are obliged to meet in relation to LGB people, as well as recommend necessary changes to the legal system and how local authorities deal with the issues.

The Project Manager of Triangle Wales, Jacqui Jablaoui, said the new survey would help uncover a subject that is often hidden from the mainstream.


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US act for bi-national same-sex couples gets backing
Christopher Curtis, Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network


On Thursday the California Senate passed a resolution supporting the federal Permanent Partners Immigration Act (PPIA), which could help save the relationship of a British lesbian in San Francisco.

The vote, favoured by Democrats, was 21 to 12, along party lines.

A similar resolution was passed on July 24 by the state Assembly. The measure will return to the Assembly to resolve any differences between the two versions. California State Assemblywoman Sally J Lieber authored the resolution.

"It is inherently un-American to force one population to choose between a life partner and their country, when the majority of citizens do not have to make that painful sacrifice," Assemblywoman Lieber said in a prepared statement.


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Married and suing the IRS
The two men whose fluke wedding in 1971 was the basis for Minnesota’s judicial precedent banning same-sex marriage now say the Internal Revenue Service owes them $793.28 because they could not file their tax returns as a married couple
By Mike Hudson  
An Advocate.com



This is one lawsuit that’s not about the money.

Minneapolis couple Jack Baker and Michael McConnell are suing the Internal Revenue Service for $793.28. That’s the amount McConnell says he would have saved on his 2000 tax return if he and Baker had been able to file as a married couple instead of unmarried individuals.

Since August 1971—when the town of Mankato, Minn., issued them a marriage certificate—the men have argued that they are legally united. However, the state of Minnesota has always maintained that the license was mistakenly issued. According to press reports, Baker legally changed his name to Pat Lyn McConnell, which a clerk thought referred to a woman. A county attorney discovered the discrepancy and revoked the license.



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Kerry would create firefighter's fund in name of gay priest

During an impassioned speech to the International Association of Fire Fighters convention in Boston on Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry committed to creating a firefighters fund in the name of an openly gay priest who was killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks.


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Wash. Woman Thrust Into Gay Marriage Fight
By REBECCA COOK
Associated Press Writer


Lee Kandu never wanted to be a crusader for same-sex marriage. The Castle Rock, Wash., woman just wanted to file for bankruptcy protection so she could keep her house after her spouse - a woman she married in Canada - was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

But her case thrust her into the national debate when a federal judge in Tacoma ruled that Lee and Ann Kandu, a lesbian couple, can not file jointly for bankruptcy protection as a married couple. Federal law, the judge ruled, defines marriage as a "legal union between one man and one woman."

Judge Paul Snyder's Tuesday ruling marks the first time a federal court has upheld the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.


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Aglipay: Gays not psychologically fit to be cops
By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net


INCOMING Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Edgar Aglipay belittled the idea of homosexuals entering the police force, saying they would flunk the required test on "psychological fitness."

While he said no law prohibited gays and lesbians from joining the police force, Aglipay said homosexuals would have a "problem" with the test.

"I doubt they will pass," he told reporters late Thursday evening.

Aglipay said he was clarifying earlier reports that quoted him as saying that he approved of homosexuals in the PNP.


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Rosales, gay activist group hit Aglipay for anti-gay remarks
(Mla time)
By Maila Ager
INQ7.net


THE AUTHOR of a bill that would penalize discrimination against gay men and women, and a gay activist group, criticized incoming Philippine National Police chief Edgar Aglipay on Friday for saying homosexuals were not psychologically fit to be members of the police force.

Akbayan Representative Loretta Ann Rosales said Aglipay should have first read and studied her measure before making prejudicial statements.

"I welcome his [Aglipay's] opinion; maybe he was just pressured or confused. But if he wants I can send him the copy of the bill. He needs to read and study it to be able to have an open mind," Rosales said in a telephone interview.

She was reacting to remarks Aglipay made to reporters late Thursday evening that homosexuals were not likely to pass the psychological test required of those wishing to join the police, although he said no law banned them from applying.