SEREMBAN,
Malaysia
—
A
top
Malaysian
official
said
the
United
Nations
errs
when
it
threatens
to
punish
nations
that
ban
gay
activities,
the
New
Straits
Times
reported
this
week.
A
cabinet-level
minister,
Dr.
Rais
Yatim,
said
the
U.N.
should
not
use
a
new
human
rights
resolution
to
deprive
developing
and
Islamic
nations
of
basic
laws
and
rights,
the
Times
reported.
“The
municipal
or
domestic
laws
of
a
nation
should
not
be
dictated
by
the
U.N.’s
mechanism
of
laws,
unless
the
former
wants
to
comply,”
he
told
reporters.
According
to
Rais,
the
resolution,
if
approved,
could
be
interpreted
as
the
international
body’s
attempt
to
intervene
in
a
nation’s
sovereignty,
the
Times
reported.
“We
will
have
to
see
first
how
the
contents
of
the
resolution
are
written,”
Rais
said,
according
to
media
reports.
“There
are
countries,
including
Malaysia,
that
do
not
recognize
sexual
relations
between
males
and
such
a
law
is
sovereign
and
basic
to
us.”
The
U.N.
measure
would
cover
all
forms
of
human
rights,
including
sexual
orientation,
the
Times
reported.
REGINA,
Canada
—
A
Saskatchewan
lawmaker
said
last
week
he
is
not
anti-gay
and
blamed
the
media
and
his
own
political
party
for
flak
following
his
anti-gay
remarks,
the
Canadian
Press
reported.
“I
have
nothing
to
fear
from
people
who
claim
to
be
gay
or
lesbian,”
Spencer
told
a
news
conference,
the
Press
reported.
“I
don’t
have
a
problem
with
the
people.”
His
comments
came
a
day
after
the
Conservative
Party
of
Canada
decided
not
to
allow
him
to
run
for
the
new
party
in
this
spring’s
federal
election,
the
Press
reported.
Spencer
came
under
fire
after
telling
a
reporter
in
December
that
homosexuality
should
be
outlawed,
according
to
the
Press.
He
said
a
well-orchestrated
conspiracy
is
behind
successes
in
the
gay
rights
movement,
the
news
outlet
reported.
Following
the
remarks,
Spencer
was
suspended
from
the
Canadian
Alliance
caucus
and
dropped
as
the
party’s
family
issues
critic,
the
Press
reported.
BELFAST
—
A
gay
foster
parenting
plan
that
has
drawn
fire
from
conservatives
now
will
recruit
potential
foster
parents
in
Northern
Ireland,
the
Belfast
Telegraph
reported.
The
Britain-based
charity,
the
Albert
Kennedy
Trust,
will
work
to
enlist
gay
adults
as
foster
parents,
the
Telegraph
reported.
Under
the
effort,
homeless
and
abused
gay
youth
(16
and
older)
will
be
placed
with
gay
men
and
lesbians
as
mentors,
according
to
the
Telegraph.
Richard
Brooklyn,
director
of
the
trust,
said
the
organization
will
move
forward
with
the
program
despite
criticism
from
church
leaders
and
others
who
allege
the
plan
will
expose
young
people
to
abuse,
the
Telegraph
reported.
“Because
of
other
issues
in
Northern
Ireland,
this
is
an
area
that
has
never
really
been
dealt
with
or
acknowledged,”
Brooklyn
told
the
Telegraph.
“If
you
are
young
and
gay
in
Northern
Ireland
you
can’t
really
win.
Homophobic
bullying
seems
to
be
on
the
increase
and
people
are
very
quick
to
abuse
others
for
their
sexuality.”
SEOUL
(AP)
—
In
a
largely
symbolic
move,
South
Korea
said
last
week
it
plans
to
remove
homosexuality
from
a
list
of
“socially
unacceptable
sexual
acts”
that
are
harmful
to
youth.
The
government
decision,
which
is
subject
to
public
debate
before
becoming
official,
marks
a
victory
for
gay
rights
groups
that
have
called
on
the
government
to
revise
regulations
deemed
biased
against
gays.
Currently,
homosexuality
is
on
a
list
of
sexual
acts
that
the
government
deems
“socially
unacceptable,”
along
with
group
sex,
incest,
bestiality,
prostitution
and
sadism.
The
government
limits
the
distribution
of
books,
movies
and
Internet
sites
containing
these
acts.
On
Feb.
4,
the
government’s
Commission
on
Youth
Protection
said
it
planned
to
remove
homosexuality
from
the
list.
Advocates
for
gay
rights
have
argued
that
the
regulation
should
be
revised,
saying
it
promotes
prejudice
among
young
people.
The
commission
said
it
plans
to
revise
the
regulation
by
April
after
hosting
public
hearings
on
the
issue.
STOCKHOLM
—
A
man
has
reported
a
Swedish
club
for
discrimination
after
he
allegedly
was
denied
access
to
the
gay
lounge
because
the
establishment’s
bouncer
did
not
think
he
was
gay,
news
site
Ananova.com
reported.
This
is
a
first
case
of
its
kind,
according
to
George
Svede,
spokesperson
for
HomO,
a
Swedish
acronym
for
Ombudsman
against
Discrimination
on
grounds
of
Sexual
Orientation,
Ananova
reported.
The
man,
27,
whose
name
has
not
been
released,
visited
the
nightclub
with
a
friend
but
allegedly
was
not
allowed
to
enter
the
special
Gay-VIP
Wonderbar,
Ananova
reported.
The
man
said
a
bouncer
told
the
pair,
“You
have
to
be
gay
and
on
the
guest
list”
to
enter
the
lounge,
according
to
the
complaint
filed
with
HomO.
In
the
complaint,
the
man
said,
“How
do
we
prove
that
we
are
gay?
It
feels
like
reverse
discrimination,”
Ananova
reported.
David
Amberton,
spokesperson
for
the
lounge,
said
the
men
were
rejected
because
they
were
not
on
the
guest
list,
according
to
Ananova.
