Taking a look at this week’s headlines concerning women’s issues around the world, honoring our Feisty Aphrodite media activist of the week and featuring music by independent artists provided by the Podsafe Network.
Listen to the Podcast
This week’s featured Feisty Aphrodite: Sonali Kolhatkar
Some of this week’s headlines:
US House Approves Afghanistan Aid Bill with Provisions for Afghan Women and Girls
Domestic Partner Tax Reform Introduced In Senate
Bush Surgeon General Pick Manipulated Medical Studies to Advance Anti-Gay Ideology
ICE Raids Target Women Workers in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Families of Colombian Paramilitary Victims Sue U.S. Banana Giant Chiquita
Hundreds of Feminists of Color Gather to Talk About Sex
Report: U.S. Forces Reversal on G8 AIDS Pledge
Call For Ban On Detergent Ingredient Linked To Intersexuality In Fish
Imprisoned Chinese Journalist Sues YahooDotCom
Japan’s First Lesbian Politician Gets Married
This week’s news contributors:
Feminist Daily News Wire
Democracy Now!
Free Speech Radio News
Women’s ENews
365GayDotCom
Uprising Radio
London Guardian Observer
London Guardian Unlimited
World YWCA
GayWiredDotCom
BBC News
Medical News Today
EarthTimesDotOrg
On Capitol Hill
US House Approves Afghanistan Aid Bill with Provisions for Afghan Women and Girls
Feminist Daily News Wire
The US House of Representatives voted 406 to 10 on Wednesday to pass an omnibus bill that will provide security and economic assistance to Afghanistan and will limit funds given to warlords in high-level offices. The bill includes the major provisions of the Afghan Women’s Empowerment Act, including the authorization for three years of $5 million for the Afghan Ministry for Women’s Affairs, $10 million for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, and $30 million for Afghan-led non-governmental organizations that are providing assistance to Afghan women and girls.
The bill authorizes a $6.4 billion aid package with measures aimed to decrease the flow of money to corrupt government officials and drug lords. The White House has already expressed discontent, saying that these measures will set “an unrealistically high bar” and will limit the president’s power to act in Afghanistan, the AP reports. A companion bill in the Senate is expected to be introduced soon. Read the entire story here.
Domestic Partner Tax Reform Introduced In Senate
365GayDotCom
Legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate would put domestic partners and spouses on the same page of the federal tax code when it comes to employer-provided health care benefits. Under current law, employers are subject to payroll tax, and employees to income and payroll taxes, for the value of covering a domestic partner. An increasing number of American employers provide health benefits to their employees’ domestic partners, including over 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
But what is seen as a flaw in the federal tax code keeps domestic partners from receiving the tax advantage as a spouse receiving the same health insurance. In addition, the bill’s supporters say, current law penalizes employers that provide domestic partner health benefits by increasing their taxes and adding significant administrative burdens. The Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act would eliminate the inequity and encourage employers to increase health plan coverage by reducing administrative burdens. A House version of the bill was introduced on March 29 by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) Read the entire story here.
Bid to Restore Habeus Corpus Advances in Senate
Democracy Now!
The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that would restore habeus corpus to prisoners at Guantanano Bay. On Thursday, the committee voted eleven to eight to advance a measure that would let prisoners challenge their detentions in federal court.
House Votes Again to Advance Stem Cell Research with Strong Support from Women
Feminist Daily News Wire
The House voted Thursday for the third time in the past two years to approve legislation that would lessen restrictions on stem cell research. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5), which would authorize federal dollars to fund research on frozen embryos at fertility clinics that would otherwise be destroyed, passed in a 247 to 176 vote, still lacking the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto. The Senate approved this bill in a 63 to 34 vote this April on a day when two of the bill’s supporters were absent. If the legislation does receive a presidential veto, the Senate, which might only be two votes away from the necessary two-thirds, would hold the first vote on an override.
Women members of Congress were much more likely to support the legislation. Only 14 of the House’s 70 voting women members opposed the measure, meaning that 80 percent of the women supported the bill, which had overall support from 56.8 percent of all members. Two Republican women — Reps. Deborah Pryce (OH) and Heather Wilson (NM) — voted in support of stem cell research after facing difficult races in 2006. Read the entire story here.
Access to Birth Control Act Introduced, Addresses Increased Pharmacy Refusals for Contraceptives
Sonali Kolhatkar
Uprising Radio
Last Wednesday, members of Congress introduced new legislation into the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate that would guarantee women access to birth control. Although an overwhelming majority of women use birth control at some point in their lives, there have been documented cases in 19 states of pharmacy refusals to fill contraceptive prescriptions. Pharmacists who have refused women birth control have usually done so citing “moral and religious” concerns. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Sen. Frank Lautenberg believe that the ABC or Access to Birth Control bill that they have introduced will put an end to the practice of pharmacy refusals. The ABC bill would mandate that if a pharmaceutical employee happens to refuse a prescription for birth control, another employee on staff must fill the prescription without discrimination or delay. In cases where a pharmacy does not carry the requested birth control in stock, another pharmacy that does must be found and the prescription must be transferred. Listen to the rest of this story here.
Support for Family Planning Services Strong with American Public and Congress
Feminist Daily News Wire
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), chair of the House Committee on Rules, are sponsoring the Prevention First Act that would, in part, increase funding for Title X, which provides family planning services to low-income women, to $700 million, making it comparable to 1980 spending in constant dollars (but the population of the US has gone up significantly since then). Title X funding has decreased consistently over the past two decades; in real constant dollars, Title X receives only 40.5 percent of what it received in 1980. The Prevention First Act would also require private health plans to cover birth control at the same level of other prescription drugs and allocate $10 million to education about emergency contraception. Hospitals would be required to provide rape victims with accurate information about and access to emergency contraception.
Another bill that augments Title X funding by a mere $27.8 million moved through a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. This bill is attached to an equal appropriation to fund abstinence-only sex education.
On the 42nd anniversary of Griswold v Connecticut, the Supreme Court case that established the right to birth control, new poll results showed Thursday that an overwhelming majority of Americans support access to birth control and other family planning services. The results of a survey conducted by Celinda Lake and released this week by the Women Donors Network and Communications Consortium Media Center indicate that regardless of their age, gender, race, or political party, Americans believe that birth control should be available without discrimination and that schools should provide comprehensive sex education.
According to the survey, 86 percent of Americans believe that safe birth control, including emergency contraception, should be available to couples. Comprehensive sex education in schools receives the support of 88 percent of Americans. Eighty-one percent of Americans say that women must have access to family planning services in order to achieve equality.
Democrats Approve Increased Funding for Abstinence-Only Education
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Meanwhile, House Democrats approved a spending bill that would increase funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, which studies have shown to be ineffective. “It’s a sell-out of historic proportions,” said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. Wagoner and others were hoping Democrats–now in control of Congress–would cut funding for abstinence-only programs, which skyrocketed under Republican control of Congress. But Democrats on a House Appropriations subcommittee agreed to increase funding for abstinence education programs by $28 million to $141 million–almost exactly what President Bush asked for in his fiscal 2008 budget request, according to Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, an advocacy group in New York.
A recent study conducted on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services showed that abstinence-only sex-education programs have no effect on rates of sexual abstinence, the age of first intercourse or students’ number of sexual partners.
Senate Immigration Debate Collapses
Leigh Ann Caldwell
Free Speech Radio News
The controversial Senate bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws has collapsed. Now, some U.S. Senators are urging their colleagues to work out their differences on immigration, so the Senate can revisit the proposal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the bill Thursday night, after Senators voted against cutting off debate and bringing the legislation to a floor vote. Listen to the rest of the story here.
Bush Surgeon General Pick Manipulated Medical Studies to Advance Anti-Gay Ideology
GayWiredDotCom
In the latest example of the Bush Administration putting an extreme right wing ideology ahead of sound science and public policy, President Bush nominated Dr. James Holsinger to serve as America’s next Surgeon General. Holsinger’s nomination to serve as the nation’s top doctor for the next four years comes despite his troubling record of manipulating medical studies to make ideologically-motivating, anti-gay arguments.
According to reports, Holsinger authored a paper outlining what he viewed as a medical argument for why homosexuality isn’t natural or healthy. Experts said the paper, used footnotes from mainstream medical publications to put “political ideology over science” and represented pre-1970s views on human sexuality. The report raises troubling questions about whether Holsinger can be trusted to put his partisan and ideological agenda aside and serve as a Surgeon General for all Americans.
President Bush’s selection of Holsinger to be America’s top doctor comes after his nomination of Henrietta Holsman Fore to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development despite a troubling record of racist remarks and stereotyping minorities. President Bush chose her to lead an agency responsible for distributing U.S. aid despite the fact that she was forced to resign as a trustee of Wellesley College after calling Hispanics “lazy” and claiming that African Americans were more interested in selling drugs than working. [New York Times, 2/12/87] Read the entire story here.
Other U.S. News
New Jersey State Primary Results in the Advancement of Over 50 Women Seeking Office
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
New Jersey’s June 5 primary election resulted in a record number of female candidates seeking state offices, reports the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. For the state Assembly, 26 Democrat and 14 Republican women won their primaries; 11 Democrat and four Republican women will run for the Senate. The center said that bipartisan efforts to encourage women to run for office are paying off.
Unions Criticize Hillary Clinton For Ties to Unionbuster
Democracy Now!
The presidents of two large labor unions have written to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to complain about ties between her chief strategist, Mark Penn, and union-busting efforts. In a letter to Clinton, James Hoffa of the Teamsters and Bruce Raynor of Unite Here criticized the anti-union activities of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller which is headed by Penn.
Briefing Highlights Intersection of Race, Gender, and Poverty
Feminist Daily News Wire
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the Center for American Progress organized a panel on Thursday in Capitol Hill on the often-overlooked intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and poverty in the U.S. Panel members, including Avis Jones-DeWeever of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Kiran Ahuja of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and Hilary Shelton, the Director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau, illustrated how women, minorities, and children suffer disproportionately from poverty and highlighted the ways in which government policy can affect the economic and social opportunities of these marginalized groups.
Using data from the US Census Bureau, the Center for American Progress presented findings that one in eight Americans lives in poverty and that nearly one-fifth of children in the U.S. are poor. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research added a gender component, stating that “while all women are more likely to be poor than their male counterparts, it is women of color who sit squarely at the bottom.”
The Center for American Progress’ Task Force on Poverty has developed 12 recommendations to create a “National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half,” including raising the minimum wage, providing health insurance and child care for low-income families, providing opportunities for home ownership, and increasing access to financial tools and resources. Read the entire story here, and the report here.
Court Rules Victims of Forced Abortion Allowed to Seek Asylum in U.S.
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
A federal appellate court has ruled that foreign victims of forced abortion can seek asylum in the United States, the Associated Press reported June 6. Two years ago, the court declared that people who have been forcefully sterilized were eligible for asylum.
Marine Corp Reaches Settlement for Victims Raped by Recruiters
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
The U.S. Marine Corps has agreed to pay a $200,000 settlement to two female high school students who claimed they were raped by recruiters, the AP reported June 7. The Marines have also agreed to revamp practices so that female recruits are more aware of their rights. One in 200 frontline recruiters in all military branches was disciplined for sexual misconduct in 2005. Feisty Aphrodite reported about the rise of sexual assault among military recruiters last August, and you can read our entire article, which includes information on the Miles Foundation and other resources for victims of these crimes by clicking here.
Military Crackdown on Dissident Vets
Dave Goodman
Free Speech Radio News
Supporters of Marine Sergeant Liam Madden, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, gathered in Boston on Thursday to protest efforts by the Pentagon to punish Madden and at least two other soldiers for publicly criticizing the war while in uniform. Boston native Liam Madden served in the Marines from January 2003 through January of this year, and did one tour of duty in Iraq. Since his return, he’s been a vocal critic of the war and has encouraged other soldiers to sign a petition, called the Appeal for Redress, urging Congress to end the war. Recently, Madden and two other soldiers, Adam Kokesh and Cloy Richards of Missouri were charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice for wearing portions of their uniforms at an anti-war demonstration. Madden, speaking at a press conference Thursday in Boston said, “Yesterday in Kansas City, co-accused Adam Kokesh lost an appeal of a military judge’s recommendation earlier in the week to change his upcoming discharge from “honorable” to “general;” a decision that could affect his ability to receive veteran’s benefits or be hired for a government job. So far, administrative hearings for Madden and Richards have not been officially announced.
Human Rights Groups Sue U.S. for Info on “Ghost Prisoners”
Democracy Now!
A coalition of human rights groups have filed suit against the Bush administration to release information about thirty-nine people it says are being secretly imprisoned. The groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, say the individuals are “ghost prisoners” who have disappeared in the so-called “war on terror.” The suspects” relatives have also reportedly been detained, including children as young as seven years old.
Military Judge Throws Out Guantanamo Charges
Democracy Now!
U.S. military judges have dropped all war crimes charges against the only two Guantanamo prisoners facing trial by military tribunal. The judges said they lacked jurisdiction under the strict definition of those eligible for trial under the Military Commissions Act, enacted by Congress last year. The rulings are the latest setback for the Bush administration’s efforts to put prisoners at Guantanamo through some form of judicial process. It was forced to rewrite the rules last year after the U.S. Supreme Court deemed the old tribunals illegal. Charges were dropped against Omar Khadr, a Canadian captured in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old. He was accused of killing a U.S. soldier with a grenade and wounding another. Charges were also dropped for Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen, who is accused of driving and guarding Osama bin Laden.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the decision proves the military commission proceedings are fundamentally flawed. Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU said the Bush administration should try the prisoners in ordinary courts martial or civilian courts. Despite Monday’s rulings, both of the Guantanamo prisoners will remain in custody and in legal limbo at the detention camp.
ICE Raids Target Women Workers in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Sonali Kolhatkar
Uprising Radio
In the early morning hours of March 6th, hundreds of Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents raided a leather factory in New Bedford, Massachusetts. 361 employees, most of whom were women, were arrested in the sweep. The majority of those arrested were expeditiously booked and flown to detention facilities in Texas. Immigration rights activists have condemned the March 6th ICE raids saying that it has triggered a humanitarian crisis. Immigrant families were ripped apart by the raids as hundreds of children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, became separated from their primary caregivers. The raid has also economically devastated families that depended on the income of workers arrested and detained. Humanitarian relief efforts in New Bedford, Massachusetts have been hampered by the widespread fears that have spread since the raid. Outrage over the immigration sweep has even reached Congress as Senator Kennedy criticized the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency by saying they, “performed disgracefully.” The majority of those arrested are Guatemalan, Salvadoran or Honduran. Listen to the rest of this story here.
Undocumented Immigrant Women Increasingly Vulnerable to Turn to Smugglers
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Undocumented immigrant women are increasingly relying on smugglers to bring their children into the United States, the AP reported June 4. The smugglers in turn are hiring poor women to bluff their way past border guards by passing off the children as their own; the Border Patrol said the number of such cases is increasing as it becomes more dangerous for families to bring their children through desert crossings. A 34-year-old single mother now serving a 15-month prison sentence was caught sneaking a year-old baby through; smugglers offered to buy her son a $100 bicycle to do it.
New Haven ID Card Under Fire
Melinda Tuhus
Free Speech Radio News
Less than 36 hours after New Haven became the first city in the country to approve a municipal identity card expressly for use by non-citizens, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency conducted raids. More than two dozen people were arrested and taken away early Wednesday morning. The city’s mayor and other community leaders have denounced the raids as intimidation and plan to roll out the new IDs on schedule on July 1st. Listen to the rest of this story here.
LAPD Accused of Brutally Beating African American Woman in Downtown LA
Sonali Kohatkar
Uprising Radio
Last Sunday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, according to numerous witness reports, a group of 4-5 LAPD police officers brutalized a homeless African American woman on the street in Downtown LA. Witnesses state that the policemen attacked the woman for 10 minutes, using both billy-clubs and pepper spray before “hog-tying” her by her hands and feet and carrying her back to a police car, bloodied and injured. The incident occurred just a few blocks from LAPD headquarters and comes just a month after the police department unleashed excessive violence against peaceful protesters in MacArthur Park on May Day. The Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN), a watch-dog group dedicated to exposing police corruption, has organized eyewitnesses to this latest assault. Local residents present at nearby Gladys Park on Sunday who witnessed the police beating have filed misconduct complaints against the LAPD officers. Their testimonials can also be seen in a YouTube video created by the LA Community Action Network. Listen to the rest of this story here, and watch the testimonials here.
New Poll Finds Over 50 Percent of Men Believe They Can Help Prevent Violence Against Women
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
A Family Violence Prevention Fund poll timed to Father’s Day has found that 56 percent of men now believe that a family member or close acquaintance has been involved in a domestic violence or sexual assault situation. The poll of 1,020 men also found that 57 percent believe they can personally make a difference in preventing violence and 73 percent think they can make at least some difference in promoting non-violent relationships.
Oregon Bill Would Make Name Changes at Marriage Easier for Men
Feminist Daily News Wire
Oregon law might soon make it easier for a husband to take his wife’s name. State Senator Vicki Walker (D) introduced an amendment to a marriage certificate bill that would clarify the name-changing process for grooms and for couples who wish to adopt a hyphenated name. A story in the spring issue of Ms. magazine, which described a similar effort in California, inspired Walker to propose the amendment.
If the amendment becomes law, marriage license applications will provide a space for both the bride and groom to note their new names. The current applications do not ask for either spouse’s new name. The Oregon Senate approved the amendment, and it will now be sent back to the House for final approval before it is given to Governor Ted Kulongoski (D). Only six other states have clear provisions for grooms to change their names. “We are no longer a patriarchal society,” Walker said, according to The Oregonian. “This simply makes it fair.”
Cheney’s Ex-Aide, Libby, Sentenced to 30 Months In Prison
Democracy Now!
Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby has been sentenced to thirty months in prison for lying to federal prosecutors about his role in the CIA leak case. A jury convicted Libby in March on four felony counts of making false statements to the FBI, lying to a grand jury and obstructing a probe into the leak of Valerie Plame’s identity. Administration officials outed Plame after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson, publicly challenged the Bush administration’s case for going to war on Iraq. Libby could still avoid serving his prison sentence if President Bush grants him a pardon. On Tuesday White House officials said the president is not going to intervene for now.
Iraq/Afghanistan News
The Pentagon announced last week that the U.S. death toll in Iraq surpassed the 3,500 mark.
Fears of New Front in Iraqi Kurdistan
Free Speech Radio News
New reports have emerged of further Turkish shelling of Kurdish areas within northern Iraq. This week’s shelling is the latest in a series of military actions by the Turkish army along the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkey has been building up a military presence along the border while rhetoric among politicians in Ankara has become increasingly in favor of taking military action against PKK rebels based in northern Iraq. Members of Iraq’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan say that Iran has also participated in the shelling of Iraqi Kurdistan. Meanwhile, Turkey has declared an area near the northern Iraqi border to be a “temporary security zone” and has restricted civilian access to the area.
Iraq Cracks Down on Striking Oil Workers
Democracy Now!
Leaders of Iraq’s oil workers strike say the Iraqi government has issued warrants for their arrest. More than six hundred workers have walked off the job to oppose the proposed Iraq oil law and demand better wages. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said this week he would respond “with an iron fist.”
Iraqi Lawmakers Move to Block Extension of U.S. Occupation
Democracy Now!
In Baghdad, Iraqi lawmakers have passed a resolution that may force an end to the U.S. military occupation. By an 85 to 59 vote, the Iraqi parliament passed a binding resolution to require the al-Maliki government consult lawmakers before extending the U.S. military mandate in Iraq. The move was spearheaded by supporters of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as well as several Sunni parties. Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar described the vote as an enormous development. Jarrar reports that lawmakers in Baghdad are planning to block the extension of the coalition’s mandate when it comes up for renewal in six months.
U.S. Air War in Iraq Intensifies
Democracy Now!
In other Iraq news, the Associated Press reports the U.S. air war in Iraq has greatly intensified in recent months. U.S. aircraft dropped more bombs and missiles in the first four and a half months of 2007 than all of last year. At the same time, the number of civilian Iraqi casualties from U.S. airstrikes appears to have risen sharply.
UN: Iraq War Has Caused 4.2 Million Refugees
Democracy Now!
Meanwhile the United Nations now estimates 4.2 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes because of the Iraq war and U.S. occupation. On Tuesday the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees pleaded for countries to do more to help the refugees.
Homelessness Rising Among Recent Vets
Aaron Glantz
Free Speech Radio News
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans held its annual convention in Washington this week, where participants discussed what they say is a growing number of American soldiers who find themselves living on the street after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 400,000 homeless vets lived on the street last year – as many as 10,000 of them have served in wars launched by George W. Bush. Listen to the rest of this story here.
This Week’s Featured Feisty Aphrodite
This week’s Feisty Aphrodite is Sonali Kolhatkar. Sonali is the host of Pacifica’s Uprising Radio, a weekly digest of independent news analysis, investigation, education, artistic expression and activism. Sonali is the co-author (along with James Ingalls) of the book, “Bleeding Afghanistan” that takes a searing look at U.S. policy in Afghanistan since the war began there, as well as debunking the myths that democracy and women’s rights have blossomed under U.S. and NATO control. The book is the child of the two’s coordination of the Afghan Women’s Mission (which they also co-direct), a U.S. non-profit that works closely with the Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan. Sonali has been a fiercely vocal advocate for women’s rights in Afghanistan, as well as bringing to light the many other political and social struggles plaguing people around the world. Please visit the website Bleeding Afghanistan to learn more, and be sure to listen to check out Uprising Radio by either visiting their website or listening to their weekly podcast!
International News
CIA Kidnapping Trial Begins in Italy
Democracy Now!
In Italy, the trial began on Friday for twenty-six Americans and five Italians accused of kidnapping a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan in 2003. Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, known as Abu Omar, was taken to U.S. bases in Italy and Germany before being sent to Egypt. There he says he was tortured during a four-year imprisonment. All twenty-six Americans are being tried in absentia. The case marks the first criminal trial over the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program.
Families of Colombian Paramilitary Victims Sue U.S. Banana Giant Chiquita
Democracy Now!
Relatives of victims of a right-wing paramilitary group in Colombia have filed suit against the US banana giant Chiquita Brands. Earlier this year Chiquita admitted it had paid off the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Chiquita said it had fallen victim to an extortion racket that threatened its employees. Colombian prosecutors have also accused Chiquita of providing arms that were then used to push leftist rebels out of an area in northern Colombia where Chiquita had its banana plantations. The suit was filed on behalf of one-hundred forty-four people killed by Colombian paramilitary groups. Lead attorney Terry Collinsgworth says the suit could mark the biggest terrorism case in history. He said, “Putting Chiquita on trial for hundreds, or even thousands of murders could put them out of business.”
Fighting Spreads In Lebanon
Simba Russeau
Free Speech Radio News
Fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam has spread to a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Sidon, fueling concerns that violence will spread to other Palestinian refugee camps in the country. Fighting erupted late Sunday near Ein al-Helweh, the largest of Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which is located in the southern city of Sidon. Military sources say two Lebanese soldiers, a civilian, and two members of the Jund al-Sham militia have been killed in the clashes. Since June 1st, the army has conducted an intensive assault on the positions of another Sunni Islamist group, Fatah al-Islam at the camp’s entrances with the aim of wiping out the militants. The pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has ordered the army to push further into the Nahr al-Bared camp, which could break a 40-year-old agreement not to enter Lebanon’s Palestinian camps. Many fear that a new front was opened to ease pressure on the fighters who have been engaged in a two-week-long standoff with Lebanese forces at the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon. The recent violence is the worst internal fighting since the end of Lebanon’s civil war 17 years ago, which has driven up to 25,000 of the camp’s 31,000 residents to flee while thousands remain trapped inside.
Afghan Parliament Suspends Outspoken MP
Sonali Kolhatkar
Uprising Radio
The Parliament of Afghanistan recently suspended its youngest and most outspoken member for statements she made during an interview. Malalai Joya is known for her uncompromising position against the warlords and drug lords who dominate the Parliament and who have regained power in Afghanistan in the post-Taliban era, through the support of the US and other governments. Joya said in an interview with Tolo Television, “A stable or a zoo is better, at least there you have a donkey that carries a load and a cow that provides milk. This parliament is worse than a stable or a zoo.” The interview excerpt was aired on the Parliament floor before a majority voted to suspend her, citing an obscure parliamentary law that prohibits MPs from insulting one another. Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling for Joya’s immediate reinstatement. Thousands of Afghans have demonstrated in cities and villages across the country in support of her. Listen to the Uprising Radio interview with Malalai Joya here.
Sierra Leone Drops Provision to Ban Female Genital Mutilation
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Sierra Leone has banned marriage under the age of 18, but a provision to ban female genital mutilation was removed from the bill at the last minute in a meeting that barred the public and the press, the BBC reported June 8. About 90 percent of women in Sierra Leone have gone through the ritual.
Women Workers Make Up Majority of Strikers at Garment Company in Egypt
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Since April 21, 284 workers at the Mansoura-Espana Garment Company have been on a sit-in strike protesting unpaid wages, the AfricanPath website reported June 5. Three-fourths of the workers are women; they have left their families to occupy the Egyptian facility–where they are sleeping on the floor–in defiance of the owner’s threats that it will be shut down rather than unionized.
Not Iraq….Mexico
Vladimir Flores
Free Speech Radio News
More than a dozen Mexican solders are in jail after 5 people were gunned down at a military checkpoint in the northern state of Sinaloa on Friday, June 1st. Mexico’s National Defense Secretariat has announced that 19 soldiers have been jailed in a military prison while military and civilian officials conduct an investigation into the deaths of 2 women and 3 children at the checkpoint. Three others were wounded in the same incident when soldiers opened fire on a vehicle carrying members of an extended family. The victims’ family says the soldiers began shooting when the vehicle did not stop immediately at a checkpoint near the town of Joya de los Martínez in the state of Sinaloa. The attack comes in the context of a government-supported military campaign against drug trafficking that has turned over many civilian policing duties to the Armed Forces in various parts of Mexico. Despite multiple accusations of military abuse of power in the context of the anti-drug operations, Mexico City’s police chief has indicated that soldiers may soon be brought in to patrol the streets of the Mexican capital.
MI6 probes UK link to nuclear trade with Iran
Mark Townsend
Guardian Observer
A British company has been closed down after being caught in an apparent attempt to sell black-market weapons-grade uranium to Iran and Sudan, The Observer can reveal. Anti-terrorist officers and MI6 are now investigating a wider British-based plot allegedly to supply Iran with material for use in a nuclear weapons programme. One person has already been charged with attempting to proliferate ‘weapons of mass destruction’. During the 20-month investigation, which also involved MI5 and Customs and Excise, a group of Britons was tracked as they obtained weapons-grade uranium from the black market in Russia. Read the entire story here.
Mass WWII Jewish Grave Discovered in Ukraine
Democracy Now!
In Ukraine, workers have discovered a mass grave believed to contain thousands of Jews killed during the Second World War. The grave was found near a village that Nazis had converted into a Jewish ghetto. Experts believe hundreds of mass grave sites in Ukraine have yet to be found.
55,000 Gather in Hong Kong To Mark Tiananmen Anniversary
Democracy Now!
In Hong Kong, some 55,000 people gathered on Monday to mark the 18th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are believed to have been killed when Chinese troops were sent into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, to quash weeks of student-led democracy demonstrations.
In China, human rights activists say at least six dissidents were detained in recent days ahead of the anniversary. At least one member of the group Tiananmen Mothers was placed under house arrest. A former student demonstrator was detained after being interviewed on Voice of America.
Reproductive Rights
Hundreds of Feminists of Color Gather to Talk About Sex
Feminist Daily News Wire
SisterSong, an Atlanta-based reproductive justice collective, hosted its 2007 National Conference, called “Let’s Talk about Sex,” last weekend in Chicago. The conference drew hundreds of people — black, Latina, Asian and Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Arab, and indigenously born — who identify as feminists and allies to discuss tangible ways in which women of color can advance the reproductive rights movement by promoting a sex-positive message. Plenary sessions and workshop topics included sexually transmitted diseases and infections, birth control, healing from sexual assault, the intersections between domestic and global reproductive justice, and the role of young people advocating for sexual rights. The SisterSong collective was formed in 1997 to educate, support, and further the reproductive rights movement for women of color by women of color advocating for themselves and their lives. Read the entire story here.
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Michigan Abortion Ban
Feminist Daily News Wire
The US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down on Monday a 2004 Michigan law that aimed to ban some later term abortions. The court upheld the US District Court judge’s opinion, finding that the ban could apply to abortion methods used earlier in pregnancy, even though the ban was only supposed to target intact dilation and extraction abortions. Additionally, the appellate court ruled that the ban would place an undue burden on a woman’s right to choose abortion. Michigan’s ban on what abortion opponents call “partial birth” abortion was broader than the federal abortion ban, which also aims to limit later term abortions and was upheld by the US Supreme Court in April. This is the third time in 10 years that Michigan has unsuccessfully attempted to ban this kind of abortion procedure. Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) vetoed the legislation in 2003, but abortion opponents were able to gather enough signatures to pass the law without her approval. Read the entire story here.
British MPs Reject Bid to Tighten Abortion Rules
Laura Smith
London Guardian Unlimited
Proposals that would have forced women seeking an abortion to receive counselling and imposed a week-long “cooling off” period were defeated at Westminster Tuesday. A bill sponsored by the Conservative backbencher Ann Winterton which aimed to tighten Britain’s abortion rules was defeated by 182 votes to 107, with opponents describing it as “an attack on women’s productive rights”. Under the proposals contained in the 10-minute rule bill, women seeking a termination would have to receive counselling about its possible ill-effects. Read the rest of this story here.
Clash Over New Ulster Abortion Law Change
Henry McDonald and Denis Campbell
London Guardian Observer
Northern Ireland’s new power-sharing government and the United Kingdom government in Westminster could soon be on a new and bitter collision course over abortion. Politicians and church leaders in the North of Ireland have reacted furiously to plans by a cross-party group of MPs to amend legislation in the autumn that would finally introduce the 1967 Abortion Act into Northern Ireland. The Catholic Church in Ireland called on nationalists and unionists Saturday night to unite in the Stormont assembly to thwart moves to extend abortion. Northern Ireland has been the only part of the UK where the act does not apply. Since 1967 thousands of northern Irish women have travelled to mainland Britain for terminations. Pro-choice MPs have pledged to liberalise the law so that in future women anywhere in the UK can terminate a pregnancy during the first three months simply by asking their doctor to do so.
The cross-party group of MPs intends to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act this autumn with a push to bring in ‘abortion on request’, removing the current need for two doctors to approve a termination and for women to prove the procedures are medically justified. The move, which will be fiercely resisted by anti-abortion campaigners, will also seek to let nurses and paramedics perform abortions for the first time, not just doctors as at present, and for operations to be performed at GPs’ surgeries and family planning clinics. Read the entire story here.
Other Health & Environmental News
Women’s Leadership Making a Difference on HIV and AIDS
World YWCA
The World YWCA, in partnership with the International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS (ICW) and other international organisations, will convene an unprecedented international conference on women’s leadership on HIV and AIDS. The International Women’s Summit (IWS) will take place from July 4-7, 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya, in conjunction with the World Council meeting.
The International Women’s Summit (IWS) brings together 1500 women of all ages and HIV statuses, as well as stakeholders and partners to discuss the impact HIV and AIDS has on women and recognise the leadership women from across the world have demonstrated in bringing a solution to the pandemic. The IWS features a wide range of activities and sessions and exceptional speakers to celebrate and expand the power of women’s leadership. This Summit will afford participants the opportunity to further build skills, strengthen existing partnerships and create new networks in order to mobilise the changes needed to reverse the global HIV pandemic on women and girls at all levels. The first day, July 4, will be a Positive Women’s Forum exclusively for HIV positive women. For more information on the International Women’s Summit, click here.
Report: U.S. Forces Reversal on G8 AIDS Pledge
Democracy Now!
The Financial Times is reporting the Bush administration has successfully pressured G8 leaders to backtrack on a two-year old pledge to fund universal access to medical care for sufferers of AIDS. World leaders agreed to reach ten million AIDS patients at the Gleneagles summit in 2005. Internal documents now show the G8 will now propose to cut that number by half to around five million. The lowered goal was inserted at the apparent insistence of U.S. negotiators. The move would come just one week after President Bush cited AIDS funding as a major priority. A senior G8 official called the proposal “a huge backward step.”
Alaska & Colorado Take Actions On HPV Vaccine
Medical News Today
The Department of Health and Social Services in Alaska on Monday announced it has received additional federal funds to provide at least 27,000 doses of Merck’s HPV vaccine Gardasil to public and private health clinics in the state this year, the Anchorage Daily News reports. According to the health department, the vaccine doses will be distributed at no cost to women and girls ages nine to 18. State health officials in April said no-cost vaccinations would only be available to children covered by Medicaid, Alaska Native and American Indian children, and some uninsured and underinsured children. Laurel Wood, state immunization program manager, said the situation changed due to an unexpected $3 million to $4 million increase in federal funding. State health officials expect about 50% of those eligible will receive the vaccine this year, Wood said.
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) last week signed a bill (HB 1301) that will require health insurers in the state to cover HPV vaccines, the AP/CBS4Denver.com reports. The bill also will require the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to implement an HPV education campaign. The Senate last month voted 25-9 to approve the bill. The bill passed in the House in late April.
Call For Ban On Detergent Ingredient Linked To Intersexuality In Fish
365GayDotCom
The Associated Press reported that an environmental group asked the federal government Tuesday to ban a class of toxic chemical compounds that are found in industrial and household detergents and are believed to cause male fish to develop female characteristics. The Sierra Club also asked the Environmental Protection Agency to bar the use of these products in areas where wastewater treatment plants aren’t equipped to remove nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs.
Scientists have documented so-called intersex fish in U.S. waters in the last decade, including the southern Great Lakes, the Potomac River watershed and the Southern California coast. The reasons for the problem aren’t fully known, but researchers suspect it is rooted in wastewater and farm runoff polluted with chemicals that are estrogenic, meaning they stimulate estrogen production. NPEs are one of them. Read the entire story here.
Scientists in Greenland Warn About Melting Glaciers
Democracy Now!
A new United Nations report has determined that Greenland’s ice cap is already melting at alarming rates and that the temperatures in polar regions is expected to rise twice as fast as the global average in coming decades.
Melting Bolivian Glacier Brings Dire Warnings
Democracy Now!
In Bolivia, scientists are warning of a major long-term catastrophe if the melting of a major glacier continues apace. The Chacaltaya mountain glacier provides the main water source for hundreds of thousands of people. Experts say it could melt away within a year. Edson Ramirez of UNSECO said the glacier is being harmed by human-driven climate change.
G8 Agrees to “Consider” Emission Caps Following US Resistance, Environmentalists Criticize Deal
Democracy Now!
World leaders at the G8 summit in Germany have reached an agreement on global warming that agrees only to “consider” cuts to emissions of greenhouse gases. Germany had led calls for a mandatory fifty-percent cut by 2050 under a global UN accord. But the Bush administration has rejected any specific cuts and says it will only accept targets and goals for reducing emissions. The deal calls for member nations to negotiate a new agreement but doesn’t bind them to the outcome. British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the accord.
Environmental groups had a different take. Greenpeace climate expert Tobias Muenchmeyer: “There is no breakthrough and there is no compromise. There are results now on the table which show that G8 has, the group of the eight biggest economies has failed to live up to responsibilities when it comes to climate change. There is no consensus on reductions on 50 percent CO2 emissions by 2050, since the US is not willing to accept this.”
German Police Chase Greenpeace Boats Near G8 Zone
Democracy Now!
As the deal was reached, Greenpeace caused a stir when it led German police boats on a high-speed chase through the Baltic sea. Three Greenpeace inflatable speed boats penetrated the security zone in the waters off the Heiligendamm meeting site. The activists unfurled a banner reading ‘G8 — Act Now.” The chase came to an end when a massive police ship rammed two Greenpeace boats, sending crew members into the water. Three activists were injured and taken to the hospital. Greenpeace didn’t stop there — earlier Friday the group tried to send a hot-air balloon over the summit with the word ‘FAILED’ written across its “G8 - Act Now” slogan. Police helicopters forced the balloon to land before it could reach the G8 meeting site. Meanwhile thousands of people continue their protests on the summit’s last day.
Environmental Activist Daniel McGowan Sentenced to 7 Years
Democracy Now!
In Oregon, the environmental activist Daniel McGowan has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a pair of politically motivated arsons in the Pacific Northwest. McGowan is the ninth member of the Earth Liberation Front to be sentenced. The judge ruled one of the arsons was an act of terrorism. The Civil Liberties Defense Center and the National Lawyers Guild have criticized the Bush administration for treating the activists like terrorists since their actions involved only property damage.
Media News
Second Afghan Female Journalist Shot Dead by Unknown Gunmen
EarthTimesDotOrg
Kabul- Gunmen shot dead an outspoken female journalist in northern Afghanistan, five days after another female reporter was killed in a similar incident, officials said on Wednesday. Zakia Zaki, headmistress of a girls school in Parwan province and owner of a private radio station called Radio Sulh (Radio Peace), was fatally shot by three unknown gunmen who broke into her house on Tuesday night, Parwan provincial governor Abdul Jabar Takwa told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
“A group of three unknown armed men entered her house in Jabalsaraj city and shot her seven times in her back, head, chest and feet,” Takwa said, adding the gunmen escaped from the area before a police unit arrived at the scene. Takwa said that an investigation was ongoing to find the culprits. Rahimullah Samander, head of Afghanistan’s Independent Journalist Association, said that Zaki had reported to their association that she was threatened by local commanders to shut down the radio station or face the consequences. In 2005 she told dpa that she had received several threats from local religious warlords in the area for airing songs that they deemed un-Islamic.
Her death came five days after two gunmen entered the house in Kabul of Shakiba Sanga Omaaj, another female newscaster and reporter for a private TV channel, Shamshad, and shot her dead. Police said that Omaaj’s family stated that she had received several threats by unknown people through letters, thrown at their home, warning her to stop working for the Channel. Alishah Paktiawal, head of the police investigation section of Kabul city, said that the police arrested a man who was suspected by her family to be behind her murder. Recent violence against journalists has sparked fear that the media is still at great risk despite the freedom it has enjoyed since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Gaza TV Women Protest at Threats
BBC News
Palestinian television journalists have protested for a second day in Gaza against threats by a shadowy Islamist group to decapitate female presenters. The group calling itself the Swords of Truth accused women TV journalists of acting “without shame or morals”. In recent months, dozens of internet and video stores have been firebombed by self-styled religious guardians. The protesters, including prominent reporters and filmmakers called for protection from extremist groups.
“We will cut throats, and from vein to vein, if needed to protect the spirit and morals of this nation,” the group said in a statement emailed to news agencies on Friday. “Shame on you,” news anchor Sally Abed - one of 15 female anchors for Palestinian TV - said on Sunday, addressing the Islamist group. “The people working in this institution are your people - if it’s not your sister, it’s your mother.” Read the rest of the story here.
Imprisoned Chinese Journalist Sues YahooDotCom
Democracy Now!
An imprisoned Chinese journalist has joined a lawsuit against the Internet company Yahoo. The journalist Shi Tao is serving a 10-year sentence for emailing a government document about the Tiananmen Square massacre to a pro-democracy group in the United States. He was arrested after Yahoo turned over his account information to Chinese authorities. On Monday the World Association of Newspapers gave Shin Tao its Golden Pen of Freedom Award.
Pakistani Journalists, Activists Protest Media Curbs
Democracy Now!
In Pakistan, thousands of people held rallies against new restrictions on local media and the suspension of a leading judge. President Pervez Musharraf imposed measures this week that make it easier for government forces to shut down broadcasters.
Report Finds Women Underrepresented in Television and Film Writing
Feminist Daily News Wire
Women are strongly underrepresented in the television and film writing sectors, a report issued in May by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGA) found. Women constitute 27 percent of television writers and only 19 percent of film writers. While the median income of women television writers has increased since the last report was issued in 2005, women film writers have not fared as well. The gender gap in film median earnings doubled from $20,000 to $40,000, according to the report. Minorities have also lost ground to white, male writers.
The report notes that “while there have been some noteworthy advances made by women and minority writers on certain measures… there are few signs that the overarching industry dominance of white and male writers is easing to any significant degree.” It calls on the industry to make concrete changes, including establishing timetables, to hire more women and minority writers.
The statistics incorporated in the report exclude areas not covered by the WGA, such as network reality television, nonfiction, and comedy-variety programming. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the writing pool is more diverse in these areas, according to the report, although often these writers receive smaller salaries. Read the report here.
Shrinking Number of Women & People of Color Own Radio Stations
Democracy Now!
A new study on the effects of media consolidation has revealed that women and minorities own a shrinking percentage of the nation’s commercial radio stations. According to the group Free Press, women own just 6% of all full-power commercial stations nationwide, and racial or ethnic minorities own just less than 8 percent. The study also found these stations are more likely to broadcast local content and diverse programming than ones owned by white men.
Nigerian Writer Awarded Prestigious Orange Prize
Allison Stevens & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has won the Orange Prize for her second novel, “Half of a Yellow Sun.” The prestigious British prize carries a $58,000 award and honors female fiction writers. She is the first African to win.
LGBTI News
Maine Gay Partners Get Family Medical Leave Rights
365GayDotCom
Legislation has been passed in Maine allowing gay and lesbian workers to take time off to care for a sick partner or child. The amendment to the Family Medical Leave Act makes Maine one of the few states to mandate employers grant limited time off to workers to care for sick kin. Maine already has a limited domestic partner law. The bill passed both houses with wide support. In the House it was approved by a vote of 95-41 and in the Senate by 28-5. A spokesperson for Gov. John Baldacci said the governor will sign the measure. Read the entire story here.
California Assembly Passes Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act
GayWiredDotCom
The California State Assembly voted 42-34 Wednesday to pass the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, a bill that would provide same-sex couples with the equal right to marry under state law. The bill now goes to the state Senate. A similar bill passed the Legislature in 2005, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. California’s 2005 bill marked the first time a state passed legislation providing for marriage equality under state law. Read the entire story here.
GOP Kills Wisc. Move To Provide Gay Partner Benefits
365GayDotCom
A bid by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) to provide domestic partner health benefits to state workers has been thwarted in the legislature. The House budget committee voted along party lines to reject the measure. Democrats were in favor of the plan but they failed to get the one Republican vote they needed to insert the policy into the budget. Republicans say the measure would violate the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Democrats who control the Senate are expected to push for the benefits in their version of the budget. Read the entire story here.
Mass. Gov. Asks Lawmakers To Postpone Anti-Gay Marriage Vote
365GayDotCom
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is asking state lawmakers to postpone next week’s scheduled joint session of the legislature where a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage is to be taken up. Patrick, a supporter of gay marriage, says he wants to delay to continue lobbying members of the House and Senate to reject the measure. The governor said he has been on the phone trying to round up enough votes to defeat the measure, but he would not say if he’s received any commitments from lawmakers agreeing to change their position. Because the marriage amendment was citizen-based it requires only 50 votes in the joint session of the House and Senate, in two consecutive sessions before going to voters. The measure received preliminary approval last January. Read the entire story here.
Meanwhile, Governor Patrick became the first sitting governor to march in Boston’s gay pride parade Saturday. The Democrat, who walked with his daughter, Katherine, and Mayor Thomas Menino in the 37th annual parade, said he wanted to keep Massachusetts a state where same-sex couples could marry legally. Read the entire story here.
Tel Aviv Gay Pride Draws Thousands
Anthony Cuesta
GayWiredDotCom
An estimated 3,000 gay rights supporters marched through the streets of Tel Aviv Friday for Israel’s annual gay pride parade. According to United Press International, the marchers were met by a group of right-wing activists who obtained police approval to hold a small counterdemonstration. Some 500 police officers and volunteers were positioned along the parade route to keep order. This year’s parade comes amid rising controversy over efforts by gay activists to hold a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. Earlier this week, the Knesset gave preliminary approval to measures preventing a gay pride parade in Jerusalem or any other place in the country. Read the entire story here.
Sao Paulo Gay Pride Tops 3 Million
365GayDotCom
Millions of people packed the streets of Sao Paulo for what organizers said was the world’s largest gay pride parade, dancing and waving rainbow flags in a carnival-like atmosphere to condemn homophobia, racism and sexism. At least 3 million people filled the canyon-like Paulista Avenue, organizers said, surpassing last year’s count of 2.5 million. The larger count was confirmed by a police spokesman who is not authorized to be quoted by name under department rules. “This is the biggest parade on the planet,” Tourism Minister Marta Suplicy said. “Our city is showing, once again, its respect for diversity.”
In comparison, recent gay pride parades in New York and San Francisco have drawn tens of thousands of people, and world gay pride day celebrations in Berlin in 2004 attracted between 200,000 and 500,000 participants. Read the entire story here.
Japan’s First Lesbian Politician Gets Married
GayWiredDotCom
Kanako Otsuji, the first lesbian politician in Japan to be open about her sexual orientation, got married on Sunday, June 3, to Maki Kimura, her partner and also an employee of hers, Gay Japan News reported. One thousand people came to the couples’ wedding, which occurred at Ikeda Park in Nagoya, Japan. The couple had been together for four years prior to getting married. Same-sex marriage is still not legal yet in Japan, and neither is civil unions. Otsuji has vowed to increase the rights for gays and lesbians in that country, by living life openly, and also by legalizing same-sex civil unions. However, Otsuji has stated that gay civil unions will take a long time to be legalized in Japan, and that there will be a minimum of a decade of discussion on the topic. She noted that as of now Japanese women are not even allowed to have two last names. The AFP said that gay orientation is not talked about openly in Japanese society, though it is acknowledged as existing. Read the entire story here.
