Australian lesbian triathlete and ironwoman Kate Rowe is one of three finalists in the Athlete of the Year competition held by American GLBT sporting publication Sports Out Loud.
Rowe took up the demanding sport of triathlon just shy of her 50th birthday and says the 1994 Gay Games re-invigorated Rowe's passion for sport. "It was a re-affirment of my choice of lifestyle, in terms of my sexuality as well as my ability as a sports woman." The winner of the competition will be announced next month.
Civil unions move
The ACT Government began to accept same-sex couple registrations this week after moving quickly to introduce its civil partnership register with administrative ceremonies. Attorney-General Simon Corbell said he expected the first ceremonies to be conducted next Saturday, May 22. “This is a historic moment on the inevitable path towards removing discrimination and ensuring equal rights for gay and lesbian couples,” Corbell said. The ACT Registrar-General’s Office has advised of several options for couples including a no-booking registration without personal witnesses or ceremony.
Qld surrogacy inquiry
The Queensland Parliament has established an investigation into altruistic surrogacy, which is illegal in the state, and is calling for written submissions by June 13. A period of public consultation will follow in June through to August with a final report to Parliament in September. Altruistic surrogacy is an arrangement where there is no payment except perhaps for medical and related costs of the pregnancy and birth. Details: www.parliament.qld.gov.au/surrogacy
Walk for AIDS
More than 45,000 walkers raised over $7 million in the 23rd Annual AIDS Walk New York, the event’s most successful year ever. Since its inception in 1986, AIDS Walk New York has now raised more than $100 million for Gay Men's Health Crisis and dozens of tri-state area HIV/AIDS organisations.
Drag queen kills truckie
A 28-year old gay Florida man who is well known as local drag queen Madeline Monroe, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of a 45-year old trucker he met in a West Palm Beach gay club in 2003. Eulis ‘Robbie’ Campbell pleaded guilty to stabbing Farook Baksh 56 times and then setting a fire to hide the crime. Campbell’s lawyers say he will most likely die in prison from HIV-related illnesses.
Russian gay plea
Leading Russian gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev has urged new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to sanction a gay pride parade in Moscow scheduled for May 31. The Alexeyev's appeal came after repeated refusals from Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has called homosexuality "satanic".
The plea comes amidst news that HIV/AIDS is increasing at alarming rates in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. The number of people in Russia with HIV has risen to 1.6 million since 2001 – an increase of 150 per cent. Official figures suggest only 1 per cent of total HIV cases in the former Soviet Union are a result of sex between men, but gay rights groups say it could be as high as 23 per cent.
‘Butch’ wins fight
A lesbian who was thrown out of the women's restroom of a New York Greenwich Village restaurant for looking too masculine reached a settlement with the establishment. The Caliente Cab Company has agreed to pay Khadijah Farmer $35,000, though the restaurant still denies that a bouncer chased her out of the women's restroom June 24. Caliente also agreed to add gender identity to its non-discrimination policy.
