NewsWrap for the week ending October 9, 2004 (As broadcast on This Way Out program #863, distributed 10-11-04) [Written by Cindy Friedman, with thanks to Graham Underhill, Rex Wockner, and Greg Gordon] Reported this week by Cindy Friedman and Christopher Gaal Sierra Leone's most prominent activist for lesbigay and transgender equality has been brutally murdered. FannyAnn Eddy founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association, the only group of its kind in the nation. She was working late at its office last week, alone in the building, when apparently someone broke in, raped her, stabbed her, and broke her neck. She was 30 years old and is survived by her son and her partner Esther Chikalipa. When Eddy spoke to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in March, she noted that, "We face constant harassment and violence from neighbors and others. Their homophobic attacks go unpunished by authorities, further encouraging their discriminatory and violent treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people." Eddy's activism extended beyond Sierra Leone. Especially as a refugee from the civil war, she traveled to a dozen African countries. She was involved in the African Lesbian Alliance, and at the All Africa Symposium on Human Rights in Johannesburg in February she was elected to a leadership role representing West Africa in the All Africa Rights Initiative. She also used her own money to help young lesbians establish the economic independence she saw as crucial to their coming out. Those who knew her all emphasize her bravery and perseverance in working for equality. Memorial donations are being collected to support Eddy's son, to help her partner travel from South Africa to Sierra Leone to mourn her, or to support the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association. For information, visit the African lesbigay and transgender Web site Behind the Mask at www.mask.org.za. The African invisibility Eddy combated is being enforced by the government of Uganda. Radio Simba has been fined 1.8 million Ugandan shillings for having gay guests on a popular talk show to speak against discrimination. The Ugandan Broadcasting Council said the August broadcast violated the national Electronic Media Act by broadcasting material contrary to the public morality. Information Minister Nsaba Buturo called it a criminal offense that the men had said homosexuality was an acceptable way of life. He said they would not be prosecuted but they would not be allowed what he called the opportunity to recruit others. The group Sexual Minorities of Uganda is disturbed not only by this action against what it viewed as public education, but by the fact that it has apparently so intimidated other broadcasters that none would allow the group to speak in response. Radio Simba paid its fine and apologized as ordered. Italy's nominee to become the European Union's Justice Commissioner next month is a close friend of the Pope who believes homosexuality is a sin. At confirmation hearings in the European Parliament this week, philosophy professor Rocco Buttiglione, who is well known in Italy for his Catholic views, cited Kant's distinction between morality and law. He said, "I may think that homosexuality is a sin; this has no effect on politics unless I say that homosexuality is a crime. The rights of homosexuals should be defended on the same basis as the rights of all other European citizens. I would not accept the idea that homosexuals are a category apart." But when asked about marriage equality, he said, "The family exists to allow a woman to have children and to be protected by her husband. It's not a question which is of interest to the EU, that is to do with philosophy and not politics." Many left-wing Members of the European Parliament were not convinced that Buttiglione could serve the interests of sexual minorities or women in a five-year term in the EU's executive branch. Openly gay Labour MEP from Britain Michael Cashman was particularly disturbed by Buttiglione's past attempt to remove sexual orientation as a category protected from discrimination under the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Yet despite the widespread concern, the Parliament cannot just block Buttiglione's appointment -- it would have to reject all 25 Commission nominees. A move to make sexual orientation a victim category in U.S. federal hate crimes law and to extend federal support to local prosecution of hate crimes, is probably dead for this year. As has happened before, the U.S. Senate approved the language of what's known as the LLEEA, Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, in the form of a rider to a key funding measure, the funding authorization for the Department of Defense. That rider was not part of the House version of the Defense bill, but last week 53% of the House of Representatives approved a procedural vote instructing the House-Senate conference committee to retain the hate crimes language in the final version. Some Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting the hate crimes measure in both the June Senate vote and the September House vote. But despite the House vote and Democratic protests, the Republican leadership stripped the rider from the conference committee product worked out this week. There's an effort underway to expedite the Defense bill for Republican President George W. Bush to sign before November elections. Remarkably not one question regarding marriage equality was put to Bush or his Democratic challenger U.S. Senator from Massachusetts John Kerry in this week's "town hall" style Presidential debate. But the issue was part of the more formal debate between their running mates, Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Senator from North Carolina John Edwards, in what was viewed as a humanizing moment for both of them. Questioned by moderator Gwen Ifill, Cheney reaffirmed his position that "Freedom does mean freedom for everybody -- people ought to be free to choose any arrangement they want" and that he would personally prefer that the "separate" question of government sanction be left to the states. He wrongly stated that "in Massachusetts we had the Massachusetts Supreme Court direct the state of -- the legislature of Massachusetts to modify their constitution to allow gay marriage." -- actually, the ruling found the state's constitution prohibited denying marriage to same-gender couples, and gave the legislature 6 months to amend the marriage laws accordingly, a deadline the lawmakers failed. Cheney offered that as the President's rationale for amending the U.S. constitution to restrict marriage to one man and one woman, and ended, "Now he sets policy for this Administration, and I support the President." In his response, Edwards chose to emphasize his belief that Cheney and his wife love their lesbian daughter and his respect for them for discussing it, "The fact that they have a gay daughter, the fact that they embrace her is a wonderful thing. There are millions of parents like that who love their children, who want their children to be happy." Edwards went on to explain how he and Kerry believe marriage is for a man and a woman, but that same-gender relationships deserve respect and benefits, and that the proposed amendment to the U.S. constitution is divisive and wrong. With a full 90 seconds available to respond to Edwards' exposition, Cheney chose to say only, "Let me simply thank the senator for the kind words he said about my family and our daughter. I appreciate that very much." At the close of the debate, Cheney's daughter Mary and her long-time partner Heather Pope both joined him before the cameras with the rest of his family -- exactly what they had not done in either of two such opportunities at the Republican National Convention. In the state-by-state campaign against marriage equality in the U.S., a trial court judge this week struck down the Louisiana constitutional amendment voters passed by a 4-to-1 margin last month. State District Judge William Morvant found the amendment itself to be unconstitutional because it deals with more than a single issue, prohibiting both marriage and civil unions to same-gender couples. The amendment had gone before numerous state courts before it came to voters, but ultimately the judiciary let the question appear on the ballot. The current ruling is being appealed, but it gave hope not only to Louisiana gays and lesbians but to some in other states whose proposed amendments have similar broad wording. Australia's Anglicans voted by a significant margin this week against blessing same-gender couples and against ordaining anyone engaging in sex outside of marriage. The triennial General Synod meeting in Perth affirmed resolutions similar to those the bishops of the global church overwhelmingly approved 6 years ago. In a heated debate, conservatives cited the Bible as calling homosexuality sinful while progressives urged a more contemporary understanding. The General Synod went on to approve a resolution praising the Australian Parliament for amending the Marriage Act this year to specifically define marriage as between one man and one woman. That move was forcefully initiated by Prime Minister John Howard and his Coalition Government, which appear to have prevailed in early returns from this weekend's federal elections. And finally... The Supreme Court of Canada this week held three days of hearings on constitutional questions posed by the Canadian Government in drafting a federal bill for marriage equality. More than two dozen intervenors paraded past the court, including religious groups both supporting and opposing marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The court reserved judgment and isn't expected to decide for several months. But the justices didn't go easy on either side. Not wishing to play a political role, they demanded to know from the Government why the questions were even being put to them. To marriage opponents, they were at least as challenging. When the religious right group Focus on the Family asserted that marriage should be reserved for heterosexuals because only they could procreate, Justice Ian Binney said coldly, "To reduce the whole thing to procreation seems to be an oversimplification." And when the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops proclaimed that heterosexual marriage is the "ideal" in society, Justice John Major noted the high divorce rate and increasing reliance on reproductive technology and said, "The ideal you speak of becomes more and more idealistic, doesn't it?"