Man not guilty of transsexual's rape

A BALLARAT jury has found a 31-year-old man not guilty of raping a transsexual at her home in country Victoria in 2003.

The five-man, seven-woman jury announced its decision yesterday following a week-long trial at the County Court after the man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, contested the charge.

Jury members spent between two and three hours deliberating their verdict.

Crown prosecutor David Cordy alleged during the trial that the man had bragged about the rape to friends, revealing physical evidence he could only have known by committing the offence.

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Malden resident accuses state trooper of transgender bias

A transgender woman is alleging discrimination against a state trooper who called her "buddy" and "guy" and arrested her after she was caught speeding, flipped off the trooper, then stepped into traffic on Interstate 495.

    Clairese Renee Morgan of Malden has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and wants troopers to go through mandatory training in transgender issues, according to Bay Windows newspaper.

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Transsexual change identity without surgery comes to life in Spain


Men who want to become woman under Spanish law could realize their dreams without surgery. The bill says transsexuals can change their gender listing and name in Spanish civil registries without undergoing surgery, but on several conditions. A doctor must certify they were born the wrong sex and have been living for an extended period under the one they want, and the person must undergo hormonal or other medical treatment to encourage the change of identity.
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Gay issues now on a Canadian school curriculum

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canada's westernmost province has settled a civil rights complaint by creating a new high school course on social justice that will include sexual orientation issues.

The gay couple who filed the 1999 complaint said the new course, which will be offered as an elective for British Columbia's Grade 12 students, should help foster diversity and tolerance within the province's public schools.

Provincial Attorney General Wally Oppal said the class, which will also study race and ethnicity issues, was less controversial than it would have been in the past because of a growing acceptance of the social contributions of homosexuals.


"This is really a classic case of much ado about little or nothing," Oppal told reporters on Thursday after announcing the settlement of the complaint that had alleged the province's school curriculum discriminated against gay and lesbian students


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Struggle for gay rights in the Middle East


BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- We were filming an interview on a Beirut street with Youssef, a 21-year-old Lebanese man from a conservative Shia family.

A car slowed down. "Foufou!" the driver screamed in our direction.

"He called you foufou?" I asked. "Yes," Youssef answered. "Foufou means 'fag.'"
Youssef then told me that when he came out to his family, two of his brothers kidnapped him at gunpoint and held him
hostage in the family home for weeks. "It was their honor in the garbage," he said.

Youssef is a rarity in the Middle East. He is openly gay and says he doesn't care who knows it.

Most gays and lesbians in the region would only agree to speak to us anonymously. It took months to find willing participants. Often, we would meet in hotel lobbies and film interviews in silhouette, hiding identities and distorting voices.