Nation + World Briefs: April 2010

Nation + World Briefs: April 2010

Gay newspaper revived in Atlanta
The new owner of a longtime weekly newspaper covering the gay and lesbian community in Atlanta said the shuttered publication will reopen this month. Southern Voice shut down in November because parent company Window Media LLC in Washington, D.C., filed for bankruptcy. New owner Matt Neumann, publisher of Gaydar Magazine LLC, said he planned to publish the paper again on April 14.

U.S. reports rape of gays in Zimbabwe
Gay Zimbabweans face widespread harassment and some have even been raped by those intending to convert their sexuality, the U.S. State Department said in a discussion of its annual human rights report in Zimbabwe. Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways. Same-sex acts are illegal in Zimbabwe and while there have been no reported prosecutions related to consensual homosexuality in recent years, the offense carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000.

Iowa governor backs legislature’s stance on gay marriage

Gov. Chet Culver praised the Iowa Legislature last week for declining to begin the process of asking voters if they want to amend the constitution to ban gay marriage. Culver said his personal view remains that a marriage should be between a man and a woman, but he thinks people have accepted the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision that found a state ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

Salt Lake City’s gay-rights laws take effect
Salt Lake City’s landmark ordinances to protect gays from discrimination in housing and employment have taken effect. Mayor Ralph Becker was joined by gay-rights advocates at a ceremony marking implementation of Utah’s first such laws. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorsed the ordinances as protecting people’s right to work and have a roof over their heads.

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