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Brazilian State, Minas Gerais,
Bans Anti-Gay Discrimination


British Police Target Cruisers


By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Brazilian State, Minas Gerais,
Bans Anti-Gay Discrimination

The parliament of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais passed a bill last week banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to show affection in public without being harassed.

Individuals, businesses or government workers who violate the law face fines of up to 50,000 reais ($21,600). Businesses could be shut down and public officials could be fired and barred from working for the government again.

The measure also creates a referral center for GLBT people who experience discrimination, and places a GLBT representative on the state Human Rights Council.

Governor Itamar Franco is expected to sign the bill into law.

At least three other Brazilian states (Bahia, Mato Grosso and Sergipe) and more than 80 cities also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The capital of Minas Gerais is Belo Horizonte.
British Police Target Cruisers

Police in Wirral, England, near Liverpool, are cracking down on men cruising for sex at the Gun Site picnic area in North Wirral Coastal Park.

The cruising has gotten out of control due to Internet sites that promote the park, they said.

The leading Web sites devoted to so-called public sex are cruisingforsex.com and squirt.org. They have been cited in numerous police crackdowns.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Brazil Slow to Address Gay Murders

130 Murdered in Brazil Last Year

London: Private Group Sex Penalty Upheld

Related Sites:
International Gay & Lesbian Rights Commision
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"The Gun Site is a lovely beauty spot and should be there to be enjoyed by all the people of Wirral, not by a minority who use it for seedy activities," said Lesley Rennie, a city councilor and member of an organization known as Friends of the Gun Site

"Many families go down to the area and occasionally children have been confronted by shocking scenes," Rennie said. "It would be good to get some CCTV surveillance up there. This activity needs to be stamped out for good."



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