The Genderless Child
A Toronto couple has drawn international scrutiny for their decision to raise a genderless child. The parents of four month-old Storm, Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, are refusing to share the gender of their child, the Toronto Star reported. The only people who know the sex are Storm’s brothers, Jazz, 5, and Kio, 2, a family friend and the two midwives who helped deliver Storm earlier this year. There is nothing ambiguous about Storm’s genitalia although Stocker and Witterick just don’t want to tell anyone. ‘When the baby comes out, even the people who love you the most and know you so intimately, the first question they ask is, ‘is it a girl or a boy?’ Witterick told the Toronto Star.
More Gays Globally Accepted
A new study revealed the majority of countries around the world were becoming more accepting of homosexuality. Over 30 nations were surveyed with just four countries showing a decrease in acceptance levels: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Russia were the exceptions and showed decreases, according to the study. AFP reported that the top five most tolerant countries from the study were the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Belgium. The National Opinion Research Centre at the University of Chicago examined the attitudes of countries based on five surveys conducted between 1988 and 2008.
Gay Cure Therapist Found Guilty
In the UK, a Christian therapist was found guilty of malpractice after she tried to cure an undercover gay journalist. A professional trial by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy ruled 60 year-old Lesley Pilkington had acted unprofessionally, PinkNews reported. Pilkington’s BACP accreditation was suspended and she has to undergo ‘extensive and professional development’ otherwise the therapist may be struck from the association. Gay journalist Patrick Strudwick approached Pilkington last year, claiming to be a Christian who wanted to become straight. He secretly recorded his session where she told him homosexuality was a ‘mental illness’ and that he must have been sexually abused as a child.
Man Charged For Gay Sex
Grenadian police arrested a 41 year-old man for having sex with another man last month even though laws against homosexual acts are rarely enacted. Associated Press reported Grenada’s director of public prosecution said the 41 year-old was charged with having sex with a 17 year-old, who remained unidentified. The age of consent for the Caribbean nation is 16 but it outlaws sodomy under the charge of ‘unnatural connection’. The president of local human rights group GrenCHAP, Nigel Mathlin told AP that gay people were still discriminated against in Grenada. ‘The government, they are very much aware of the changes that need to be made, of bringing our laws into line with international human rights principles,’ he said.
Update: Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill
With the closing of Uganda’s parliament, gay rights groups had little time to celebrate with reports now suggesting the infamous anti-homosexual bill will be taken up in the next sitting of parliament. BBC reported three bills were forwarded to the ninth sitting of parliament, one of them the anti-homosexual bill. PinkNews reported that the bill was expected to be debated. It has received worldwide condemnation including Australia from both the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda; the new bill will add harsher penalties and conditions for homosexuals, such as the death penalty for ‘repeat offenders’.
SA Tackles ‘Corrective Rape’
A new task force was announced last month to address crimes against homosexuals following the gang rape and murder of a young woman believed to be a victim of ‘corrective rape’ in South Africa. A petition of more than 170,000 signatures from around the world called on the South African government to act against ‘corrective rape’ or the practice of men raping lesbians to try to turn them straight. ABC News (US) reported that the task force was scheduled to begin tackling the issue in July. Corrective rape first sparked widespread attention in 2008 after the rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, a one-time national soccer player and gay rights advocate.
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