Copenhagen City Council donates funds for 2009 Outgames
The Copenhagen City Council has donated $3.45 million to help organize the second World Outgames there in 2009. The Outgames were born last year in Montreal to compete head-on with the Gay Games after a rupture between Montreal Gay Games organizers and the Federation of Gay Games. Following the split, the Gay Games were relocated to Chicago.
Both events ended up losing money $5.3 million in Montreal and $200,000 in Chicago.
With their new funding, Copenhagen organizers announced they are seeking to hire a director and several project leaders.
Court orders Justice Department to register Argentine transgender group
Argentina’s Supreme Court on Nov. 22 ordered the Justice Department to officially register the Association for the Struggle of the Travesti and Transsexual Identity. The department’s General Inspectorate of Justice had declined to recognize the group and was backed up by a lower court which said the association’s goals went against “the common good.”
The new ruling said the earlier determinations violated the nation’s guarantees of freedom of association.
20,000 turn out for Buenos Aires’ 15th annual gay Pride parade
Some 20,000 people turned out for Buenos Aires’ 15th gay Pride parade on Nov. 25, organizers said. Marchers demanded an end to discrimination, equal treatment for transgender people and legalization of same-sex marriage.
This year’s theme: “We are all marvelously different.”
Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies passes law banning anti-gay discrimination
Brazil’s lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, passed a bill on Nov. 23 banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, with a penalty of one to five years in jail for those who violate it. The measure would apply in areas that include housing, employment and public accommodations. It also criminalizes attempts to prevent public displays of same-sex affection and prohibits offensive references to sexual orientation.
2 Guatemalan transvestites gunned down outside bar in November
Two transvestites were gunned down outside a bar in Guatemala City on Nov. 22. The two individuals, who were hit several times each, were at least the 10th and 11th transvestites murdered in the nation this year. Gay leaders say police make little effort to solve such killings and are likely involved in some of them as well.
New poll shows 84 percent of Irish support same-sex unions
A new poll has found that 84 percent of Irish people support recognition of same-sex unions, and 53 percent support access to ordinary marriage for same-sex couples. However, only 39 percent support allowing gay couples to adopt.
The poll of more than 1,000 people was conducted by Lansdowne Market Research for the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 20, 2006.