Austria to Allow Civil Partnerships for Gay and Lesbian Couples

Austria's government has approved civil partnerships for same-sex couples, Agence France Presse reports:

"The compromise, achieved after weeks of wrangling between the ruling Social Democrats and their conservative coalition partner in government, will give gay couples equal rights to heterosexuals with regards to pensions and alimony. Partners will also be able to take each other's name, if they wish. But the new law will continue to ban adoption or artificial insemination for gay couples, said Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner, who had put forward the draft."

Same-sex couples will also be forced to formalize their relationships at the municipal office or the magistrate's office, and not at the civil registry's office as part of the compromise, after complaints from conservative groups.

The law, once given final approval by parliament, goes into effect on January 1.

Here's Your Chance to Lick Roger Federer

Even if you suck at tennis. In February, Austria plans to release 400,000 stamps honoring the world #1 tennis player.

Swiss Info reports: "It is not the first time Federer has been put on a stamp: Switzerland issued one in 2007 – the first Swiss personality to be paid this honour during his lifetime."

Previously...
Watch: Roger Federer Knows How to Use What's Between His Legs [tr]
Hot + Cold: Andy Murray and Roger Federer Strip Down at Wimbledon [tr]

News: Volcano, Andy Cohen, Generation Gap, Neda, Apple, Bruno

Letter to Obama from People for the American Way calls for him to make major speech on LGBT equality and to move Congress to act.

International Space Station gets lucky shot of erupting volcano.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck sued.

Watch What Happens: Andy Cohen to host weekly live late night talk show.

Boy Culture's visit to Broadway Bares. The event raised over $800K.

Iranians mourn Neda: "To those who knew and loved Agha-Soltan, she was far more than an icon. She was a daughter, sister and friend, a music and travel lover, a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life. 'She was a person full of joy,' said her music teacher and close friend Hamid Panahi, who was among the mourners at her family home Sunday, awaiting word about her burial. 'She was a beam of light. I'm so sorry. I was so hopeful for this woman.'"

It's men's fashion week in Milan.

Barna Study: "People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts. A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today." (study)

Anti-gay informercial Speechless: Silencing the Christians, which was stifled in Michigan, resurfaces in California and North Carolina.

NYT goes inside Apple: "Employees working on top-secret projects must pass through a maze of security doors, swiping their badges again and again and finally entering a numeric code to reach their offices, according to one former employee who worked in such areas. Work spaces are typically monitored by security cameras, this employee said. Some Apple workers in the most critical product-testing rooms must cover up devices with black cloaks when they are working on them, and turn on a red warning light when devices are unmasked so that everyone knows to be extra-careful, he said."

New York mag on the gay generation gap.

Austria pissed at Sacha Baron Cohen over Bruno: "So it comes as no surprise that some local media are not happy with seeing Austria become 'the new Kazakhstan', thanks to Herr Bruno. Now these 'fears have become a reality', reads an article in the tabloid newspaper Österreich."

Rapper Eve to appear on Glee in the fall.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have twins through surrogate mother.

60,000 U.S. inmates sexually abused each year: "Inmates who were short, young, gay or female were more likely to be victimized than other inmates."

Manhattan synagogue makes $10K off Westboro Baptist Church protest: "Leaders of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, a West Village synagogue that caters to gays and lesbians, didn't want to ignore a planned visit by members of the rabidly anti-gay and anti-Semitic Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. Instead, they asked supporters to pledge a dollar or more for every minute that six protesters stood near their synagogue hurling epithets and holding signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Jews Stole the Land." The final haul after 50 minutes: $10,000."

News: Latvia, Ryan Reynolds, Cannes, Life Ball, Cambodia, GPS

New Hampshire Senate holding hearing on new language in marriage equality bill. To vote tomorrow.

Anti-gay activist allowed to lead first Baltic Pride March in Latvian capital of Riga. Activist: "It is only right that those against us should be allowed to express their views."

Robert Pattinson's hair arrives in Cannes.

Arkansas GOP Chair slammed over stump speech warning voters of the dangers of having an open lesbian in the state legislature.

Drama in Portland over new LGBT weekly magazine.

Ryan Reynolds to Betty White: "Why don't you go suck a hot c*ck."

Brazilian government releases plan to defend civil rights and adoption by gay couples.

POLL: Half of Nevadans oppose civil unions. "The poll, which did not gather opinions about gay marriage itself, found 38 percent of Nevadans favor domestic partner legislation, while 50 percent oppose it and the remainder are undecided. Democrats back the plan, incorporated in Senate Bill 283, by a 46 percent to 36 percent margin, while independents support it 47 percent to 42 percent. But Republicans oppose the proposal by a 71 percent to 23 percent margin, more than offsetting the Democrat and independent support."

Hilary Duff, Carson Kressley, Michael Urie come out for AIDS Walk New York, which raised $5.6 million.

Cambodia crowns first 'Mr. Gay'.

Vallejo, California student wins $25K settlement in ACLU harassment lawsuit against high school: "Comments were said like they don't know if I was a boy or a girl, I need to pull up my pants, I'm a lady. I couldn't be put into a girls locker room."

UK police stations lower Union Jack, raise rainbow flag in show of force on International Day Against Homophobia: "One police chief said the rainbow flag demonstrated his force's support for homosexuals who felt they were victims of prejudice. But critics warned that it was dangerous for forces to show support for particular campaigns."

While gay rights demonstrations in Moscow were marred by arrests, demonstrations in other Russian cities, like St. Petersburg, were notably peaceful. More photos.

Hearing for accused killer of Lawrence King postponed again: "A Ventura County Superior Court judge on Monday reset the first hearing for Brandon McInerney to July 8. McInerney's lawyer, Scott Wippert, says he needs more time to prepare documents before the preliminary hearing. McInerney, who is being prosecuted as an adult, has pleaded not guilty."

Inside Vienna's Life Ball. More here.

Kenyan archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth slams homosexuality: "For the African, gender is either male or female; other issues such as homosexuality should not arise. In this context, the belief of the African is consonant [with] the teaching of the Bible, namely God created only two sexes: male and female. God created Adam and Eve. God did not create Adam and Steve!"

Ultradome: Milo Ventimiglia set to produce and star in weird web series about intellectual film discussion.

South Carolina activists to protest omission of gays and lesbians from teen dating violence bill.

GPS satellite system on verge of collapse? "The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year."

Vertiginous Venue

Photographer Kevin Tachman won First Place in Billboard and PDN's Summer Music Moment photo contest. You may remember I posted the photo of the Scissor Sisters performing at the annual Top Of The Mountain show at the Silvretta Arena Ischgl-Samnaun in Ischgl, Austria, in April 2007.

Scissor Sisters Play the Austrian Alps [tr]
PDN - Billboard Summer Music Moment [site]

Dead Closeted Austrian Conservative's Lover Was His Spokesman

Last week I posted about Joerg Haider, a closeted, far-right Austrian politician who died in a fiery car accident hours after being seen at a gay bar.

The story has developed: "Stefan Petzner, 27, recently replaced Haider as the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, and has appeared in public crying since his death. He admitted on an Austrian radio show that he was the deceased politician’s longstanding lover, the Independent reported. Petzner admitted a 'magnetic attraction' when he met Haider five years ago while working as a reporter. 'We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship,' the Independent quoted Petzner as saying during the emotional interview. 'Joerg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.' He said that he rushed to Haider’s side when he heard of the 52-year-old politician’s car crash. Petzner insisted Haider’s widow, Claudia, was aware of their relationship and did not object. Party officials were reeling Wednesday, trying to limit political damage by canceling Petzner’s upcoming interviews and trying to prevent his radio interview from being rebroadcast."

According to the AP, "Haider sought to distance himself from his rightist past, which included a comment in 1991 that the Third Reich had an 'orderly employment policy' and a 1995 reference to concentration camps as 'the punishment camps of National Socialism.'"

Previously
Right-wing Austrian Politico Visited Gay Bar Before Fatal Car Crash [tr]