Hopeful signs from around the
world!
Good news keeps coming in from various
parts of the world in the struggle for justice ! The late 1990s seemed
to be God's 'kairos' - God's time to begin setting his lesbian and gay
people free from religious bigotry and prejudice!
I was on a Pride march with lesbian
and gay Christian friends in 1995! As I walked with only my own thoughts,
after chatting to several, I had a 'kind of vision'. From walking in the
Pride march one moment, I was briefly 'transported' into the great throng
of Israelites coming out of Egypt!! The message was clear - God was bringing
his LBGT people out of their captivity into freedom!
As I write this in 2006, how wonderfully
this has been seen in Gt Britain and much of Europe! Lesbian and gay relationships
legally recognised and honoured, in spite of the spitefulness of such as
the 'Christian' Institute, Evangelical Alliance and the anti-gay factions
in various of the churches and 'christian' cults.
Why can't they grow up spiritually
and accept people who are different. Jesus did, so why don't they? They
affect to follow him, but deny him with their actions and words on this
matter. But 'God's will' will be done!
Praise His Loving Name!
Sure, the battle is far from over,
but many individual, community and national battles are being won.
Praise the Lord!
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*Some of the many*
People coming out; New laws on discrimination
and Partnership; & New Gay Organisations formed in 1999
PEOPLE COMING OUT
BBC Breakfast News TV co-anchorman John Nicolson
came out.
The world's first transsexual member of parliament,
Georgina Beyer, was elected in New Zealand.
Australia's new ambassador to Denmark, Stephen
Brady, presented his partner, Peter Stevens, to Danish Queen Margrethe.
Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby came
out.
Gay Australian Senator Brian Greig used his maiden
speech in the Senate to call for gay equality.
Openly gay John Hyde was elected mayor of the
Perth, Australia, inner-city municipality Town of Vincent.
Openly transsexual Leigh Varis-Beswick was elected
to the town council of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, West Australia.
A member of the Canadian province of Manitoba's
legislature, New Democrat Jim Tondeau, said he's gay.
Gay Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury
became an activist for gay immigration rights.
The deputy mayor of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Janet
Mabley, acknowledged she is gay.
Spanish Socialist Member of Parliament Miguel
Iceta came out.
Dutch national television news' NOS-Journaal reported
that the king of Morocco, Sidi Moulay Mohammed (Mohammed VI), is gay.
LAWS
Five nations now ban discrimination based
on sexual orientation via their constitutions: Canada,
Ecuador, Fiji, South Africa and Switzerland.
Chile repealed its ban on gay sexual relationships.
Sweden's parliament banned discrimination based
on sexual orientation in the job market.
Frank Wolff Hinrichs won Denmark's first anti-gay
job discrimination case.
A ruling by Britain's House of Lords opened the
door for foreign gays seeking asylum from persecution based on sexual identity.
British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has lifted
the ban on gays in the military after the European Court of Human Rights
ruled it was illegal.
Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled unanimously
that the armed forces cannot bar homosexuals.
The Canadian province of Alberta OK'd gay adoption.
Mexico City's Legislative Assembly banned discrimination
against gays.
PARTNERSHIP
France enacted
a registered-partnership law that gives same-sex couples nearly every right
of matrimony. There are similar laws in
Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
The Legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario
amended 67 laws to give gay and lesbian couples every right accorded
common-law opposite-sex couples.
The National Assembly of Quebec gave gay/lesbian
couples the same rights as common-law heterosexual couples.
The Australian state of New South Wales gave gay/lesbian
couples spousal rights in matters of property, inheritance, alimony and
medical decisions.
Namibia's high court ruled that gay couples have
the same rights as heterosexual couples.
Hamburg, Germany, set up a registry for gay and
lesbian couples.
Former Danish health minister Torben Lund 'married'
his boyfriend at Copenhagen city hall.
In an apparent first, two Japanese men got "married"
at a Shinto shrine.
Several dozen Bulgarian gays published an ad in
the daily newspaper "24 Tchassa" demanding legalization of same-sex marriage.
The Chelyabinsk, Russia, gay group Freedom of
Conscience demanded the government legalize gay marriage.
ORGANIZING
Gays in India formed a national network called
LGBT India.
Jerusalem's first gay/lesbian centre opened.
Mongolia's first gay organization, Talivan, formed.
Fiji's first gay group, the Sexual Minorities
Project, is established.
Murmansk, Russia's first gay organization, The
Circle, was officially registered with the government.
Gays and lesbians in Belarus staged their first
pride celebrations.
The Bank of Scotland ended a partnership with
homophobic U.S. televangelist Pat Robertson following protests by gays
and their supporters.
Great year 1999!! Injustice being pushed back
in many places.
But remember in your prayers the many gay people
in utterly homophobic societies where to come out means punishment or death.
We remember them before you, O Lord!
Click
here for more of this in following years
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