No Swiss Safe Haven For Foreign Gays!

No Swiss safe haven for foreign gays!

A special motion that would have given legal recognition to people persecuted because of their sexual orientation has been well and truly trounced in the Swiss parliament. The government claimed gay people were rather adequately protected by the European countries current asylum laws.

They voted against the motion, by a massive 125 votes to 64, on Wednesday. “We really regret that this has been rejected because it would have been a better solution for persecuted people,” Denise Graf form the Swiss office of Amnisty International in a statement to Swissinfo.

“Currently asylum law says authorities have to consider the special situation of women. We said they should have to consider the special situation of women and people who have been persecuted for their sexual orientation or sexual identity.”

Amnesty pointed out that homosexual acts are still illegal in 85 countries – predominantly Muslim and African ones, and punishable by death in Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. In many other parts of the world people sit in prison because of their actual or presumed sexuality, it added. Homosexuality was legalised in Switzerland in 1942.

Amnesty said that without legal recognition of this specific form of persecution, there was a danger that Switzerland would continue to turn away asylum seekers, even if they would then face prison, torture and death.

The only party to support the bill was the Social Democratic Party “To be able to live one’s sexual orientation free of danger is a fundamental part of personal freedom and therefore a justified reason for asylum,” said Margret Kiener Nellen, co-president of the party’s commission for sexual orientation and identity.

But Hans Fehr from the rightwing Swiss People’s Party feared there was “massive potential for abuse” as a result of a lack of controls. “Hundreds of thousands of people could stream into the country and Switzerland would turn into an island of allegedly persecuted homosexuals,” he said.

For more on this story please visit Swissinfo.ch

Jason Shaw, Brighton, England.

GayAgenda.com’s UK Correspondent.

Jason’s blog, The Seafront Diaries, can be found here!

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Senators Call For End Of Gay Blood Ban

A group of leading democrats including Senator John Kerry  have signed a letter calling for the government to over turn a ban on gay men giving blood.   They want the discriminatory law abolished,  stating that there is “not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban.”  on gay blood.

The letter has been  sent to the Food and Drug Administration,  calling for a change in the law that would open the door for gay people to donate blood.   They have also asked for the  FDA to review their  donor screening questionnaire to ensure a healthy blood supply.

“A law that was once considered medically justified is today simply outdated and needs to end, just as last year we ended the travel ban against those with HIV,” Senator Kerry said in a statement

The current law banning gay blood donors was bought in during 1983,  stating that guys, who had had  sexual relations with another man from 1977  was  prohibited from being a donor.  4

From what I understand,  The American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers and The  AABB,  the big three blood donation groups all support ending the ban.

Part of the letter said –

“The safety, availability, and integrity of our nation’s blood supply are vital. For these reasons, we agree with the American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers, AABB, and others that the time has come for the FDA to modify the lifetime deferral for [gay men] to be consistent with sensible health and safety policy and with FDA deferral guidelines for high-risk heterosexual behavior. We request that you initiate a review of the lifetime deferral requirement for men who have sex with men wishing to donate blood and that you reexamine the deferral criteria for all blood donors to ensure all high-risk behaviors are appropriately addressed”

Some of the other senators signing the letter were  New Yorks Kirstin Gillibrand,  Dick Durbin from IIllinois,   Daniel Akaka,   Sheldon Whitehouse,   Sherrod Brown,  Frank Lautenberg, Bob Casey,   Bernie Sanders, Russ Feingold,   Mark Udall,   Al Franken,   Maria Cantwell,  Carl Levin,  Tom Harkin,   Mark Begich,   Roland Burris,  and Michael Bennet.

A similar ban is in place in the UK,  it’s   imposed by the The National Blood Service,  whose  current rules stipulate that any gay man who has or has had sex with another man, either protected or unprotected, are not allowed to donate blood to the national blood service –  ever.  This is  purely on the basis of sexuality. They are not even given individual consideration: they are simply banned from EVER donating blood.   Yet a straight man who has unprotected sex with a different woman every night can give blood at anytime.

Anti-Gay Senator Arrested Leaving Gay Club

There is a saying,  truth is stranger than fiction,  you really couldn’t make it us, early Wednesday morning, the anti-gay California State Senator, Roy Ashburn was  spotted and  stopped by the local police.   Ashburn was then arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Now this news on it’s own is nothing unusual.   Politicians all over the world like the odd tipple,  and it’s quite common for them to be charged with drink driving and things like that.   But  what turns this story upside down,  has created a media frenzy is where this opponent of gay rights was  seen leaving  Faces,  a gay nightclub in downtown Sacramento!

Yep,   this campaigner against our equal rights, not only gets himself busted drink driving coming out of a gay club,  but he also had an unidentified male in the passenger seat,  and let me tell you,  it wasn’t any of his staff!

The ashamed father of four issued a statement -

“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me – my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”

For more  see the local TV news report of the incident!

Jason Shaw,  Brighton,  England.

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Gay UK Minister to Marry in Parliament

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