Transsexual Files $4.5-Million Discrimination Suit On Two Continents


(London) An American transsexual working in the UK has filed discrimination suits against Hitachi Data Systems in both British and US courts.

When Jessica Bussert, 41, began transitioning she, the woman she married while still identifying as male and their two children, transferred from Hitachi in Indiana to the company's British operation, believing the UK to be a more tolerant society.

Bussert said she made the decision to move following the murder of a 19-year old transgendered woman in the US.
In 2004 when other workers began to comment on Bussert's long hair and other physical changes due to hormone therapy she began to let people know she was transitioning.

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New York court takes up gay marriage


NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York's highest court will consider Wednesday whether New York City can grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Attorneys for five New York City couples plan to argue that the New York State Court of Appeals should allow the city to let same-sex couples marry because of the state constitution's guarantee of "equality, liberty and privacy for all New Yorkers."

Only the state of Massachusetts allows couples of the same sex to marry, although Vermont permit civil unions which are the
equivalent to marriage in all but name. Thirty-nine states have some sort of ban on gays marrying.

Federal law denies recognition of all same-sex marriages.

The New York City couples were denied marriage licenses in 2004 and quickly took their case to the courts.

Since then, the state's Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, and city Mayor Michael Bloomberg have expressed support of gay marriage, although both are required to fight the challenges in court because existing law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

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Gay trio tries to enlist in Minnesota Guard


It was an unprecedented event at the Roseville Recruiting office of the Minnesota National Guard. Three young people showed up to enlist Tuesday morning.

"Haven and I," Jacob Reitan told assembled reporters and news cameras, "are 24 years old. We are young, fit, capable people. We both graduated in the top 10 percent of our class from some of the nation's best universities."

So, why the media fuss? Jacob, Haven Herrin and their friend, Ezekiel Montgomery are all homosexual. They planned their enlistments as a protest to the 13-year-old "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, barring openly gay personnel in the U.S. Military. It is believed to be the first time "out" young persons have tried to join here.

"To my knowledge," Major Kevin Olson of the Guard insisted, "it hasn't happened before in the Minnesota National Guard." As for tossing out revealed enlisted men and women, "Over the last two years, there's been a total of four discharges for homosexual conduct in the Minnesota National Guard."

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State should be cautious about gay rights call


THE Government has been told to be cautious about calls by the Methodist Church to amend or drop the section of the Constitution dealing with gay rights.

Fiji Womens Rights Movement executive director Virisila Buadromo said wide consultation was needed if the Government was to take such calls into consideration.

Ms Buadromo said if the Government was considering amending a section of the Constitution on gay rights under the Bill of Rights, wide consultation needed to be undertaken before any action was taken.