Date: 24 Apr 96 18:21:25 EDT
From: Yannick Chevalier <101556.1213@compuserve.com>
Subject: EGALITE AWARD

PRESS RELEASE

MEP PETER PEX RECEIVES SECOND EGALITE AWARD

On Tuesday, April 23, Mr Peter Pex, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament,
received the 1996 EGALITE Prize. This prize is awarded annually to a public
figure who has worked for the defence of the rights of homosexuals in Europe.
Last year, the prize went to Claudia Roth. EGALITE, an association of over 300
members working in and around the European institutions, monitors closely
developments in EU member states regarding the legal and social status of gays
and lesbians.

The President of EGALITE, Carla Kessels, explained that the prize was awarded to
Mr Pex in recognition of his unrelenting efforts and numerous interventions in
support of the rights of non-married couples. This led the European Parliament
administration to extend to non-married cohabitant employees, including
homosexuals, certain rights which up till now only married couples enjoyed. She
expressed the hope that, following this example, Commissioner Liikanen would
shortly take similar measures at the Commission. Ms. Kessels emphasized that
gays and lesbians were not seeking "special" rights but "just the same rights as
heterosexual couples", and hoped that the current revision of the Maastricht
treaty would lead to the inclusion of a general anti-discrimination clause
mentioning
explicitly sexual orientation.

In his acceptance speech, M. Pex denounced widespread hypocrisy and all the
"specious arguments", in particular those of a financial nature, that are
invoked to deny homosexuals equal rights. "Whether it costs money or not,
everybody in the service of an institution of the Union must be treated equally
and must have the same right to take care of his or her partner, whether or not
there is a marriage certificate", he said. "When the subject of homosexuality
arises, he said, people get nervous and arguments are brought forward to avoid
applying the general principle [of non-discrimination]". He noted that the
defense of human rights was a daily battle and he wondered why Christian
Democrats, "those politicians who claim to strive for justice and equality among
human beings in the spirit of Christ", look the other way when it comes to the
rights of non-married couples, especially
homosexuals. In this regard, he said: "I heard that in the discussion papers of
the Council on the IGC, the words "sexual orientation" and "sexual preferences"
had been removed [from the anti-discrimination clause]. I do hope this news
might be a misundertanding." In M. Pex's view, it behooves the European
institutions to lead the way and to encourage member states to alter their
legislation in this respect. Finally, M. Pex urged all unmarried couples, be
they hetero or homosexual, to "stand up and to work together" to make
discrimination a thing of the past.

For further information : Yannick Chevalier : 101556.1213@compuserve.com