PRIDE GUIDE 1997 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

European march demands differ slightly from U.S.

Paris-The 1997 EuroPride March, to be staged June 28 in Paris, has issued its demands. Some of the demands are familiar to U.S. activists, but some are not, such as equal age-of-consent laws for men and

women.

All European nations are told to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation; legalize same-sex unions; legalize

"The age of consent for homosexuals remains, in certain countries, different from the age of consent for heterosexuals.

to anti-gay censorship in the arts, greater recognition of gay victims of the Nazis, and greater access to asylum for gays and lesbians mistreated in particularly antigay nations.

"Certain [European] citizens are 'less equal' than others, notably homosexuals and bisexuals," EuroPride said in a press release. "There are countries in Europe where homosexuality is still a criminal offense: Romania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia severely punish homosexuality. To a lesser degree, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Greece, Poland and Bulgaria, amongst others, have discriminatory legislation.

[Twenty U.S. states have "sodomy" laws against oral or anal sex, and five of these only apply to same-sex partners.]

"The age of consent for homosexuals remains, in certain countries, different from the age of consent for heterosexuals (the United Kingdom, Finland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Albania, Croatia)," EuroPride continued. "Liechtenstein bans all positive representations of homosexuality, and the United Kingdom prohibits local government authorities from allowing such representations.

"Moreover, the legal recognition of the [gay] couple has been gained in only a very few countries: only Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Hungary have enacted laws-even if they are not perfect-allowing two people of the same sex to be 'united' legally and to enjoy rights comparable to those of heterosexual couples.

A-13

"In all that concerns parenting for homosexuals or bisexuals, even if certain encouraging advances have been made here and there (Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, the town of Valencia, Spain), discrimination remains the norm around subjects such as adoption, custody or artificial insemination.

"Europeans are not equal either in all that concerns people who are HIV-positive or sick," EuroPride said. "In certain countries real discrimination exists against these people, and access to health care is not always respected."

For more information, contact Lesbian and Gay Pride Paris, 27 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris, France; fax: 01133-1-45-23-10-66. ✓

gay adoption, custody and artificial insemination; and provide health care for everyone, especially people with AIDS.

The Council of Europe is urged to modify the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms so gays have the same rights as heterosexuals, and to refuse membership to nations that criminalize homosexuality.

Additional demands include more objective information for gay youth, an end

SPIRITS

New women's land collective is born

Continued from page A-9

community," Bennett said. "It is wonderful, horrible, invigorating, draining, important work. We are asking for women's input, their vision, wisdom, time, experience and energy."

In addition to planning for LandFest, the collective continues to deal with the issues that each new season brings. Will they lease any of the land for farming? Will hunting be allowed on the land? How will they get some space mowed for camping?

New visions for the land

But with each new question, there comes new visions and plans for the land. According to their brochure, "We want to have a community building on the land. We see gardens, and gatherings, and workshops, and artisans, and space for spirituality . . .”

There are currently about fifty women that make up the collective, mostly lesbians, all women-identified. The women range in age from 20 to 70, and most of them live in the Cleveland area. They see themselves as custodians of the land for all women-not only the women who are currently a part of the collective. Most women involved in the collective are middle class and Euro-American, although they say they want to be more inclusive and are working hard to get there.

"The only thing we all have in common is that we believe in miracles," they said. "We somehow gathered enough women, money, and hope to buy a chunk of land. We believe that we are limited only by our imaginations."

Registration for LandFest 97 is $45 and must be received by June 6. Portions of advanced donations will be set aside for a limited number of scholarships. Donations made above $45 will be used for additional scholarships. Women who would not be able to attend the event because of the donation amount are asked to request a scholarship, which must be received by June 13.

To pay by check or money order, make check payable to Marsha Chenin and mail to LandFest 97, 1340 Orchard Hts. Dr., Mayfield Hts., Ohio 44124. Call 216932-4476 or 330-378-2481 for more information about Land Fest and the women's land collective.

RUM

TRIPLE-SEC

ITS

VODKA

The 4.1%

YOUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT

ITS

BOW

GIN

Rainbow Spirits is a line of Premium Spirits consisting of your favorites; Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila and Triple Sec. We are proud to contribute 50% of the profits from every bottle to a local non-profit organization benefiting AIDS research and services. So, when you order a cocktail ask for Rainbow Spirits and help support your community.

We ask that you drink and act responsibly.

Look for love in all the RIGHT places! The Gay People's Chronicle Personals!