Gay Today: World

Outrage! Calls Boycott
of 'Stagecoach' Transport

Chinese Teenagers
Distribute Gay Publication

Police will not
Protect Salvadorian Activist

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Outrage! calls Boycott
of 'Stagecoach' Transport

The British activist group OutRage! has called a boycott of Stagecoach buses and trains owned by Scottish millionaire Brian Souter.

Brian Souter: Bigot and Bus Company Owner

Souter has donated $1.6 million to a campaign to derail Scottish plans to locally repeal the anti-gay British law Section 28, which prohibits cities from "intentionally promot[ing] homosexuality" and bans teaching "the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship" in schools.

"Brian Souter wants to buy political influence and sustain discrimination," said OutRage!'s Peter Tatchell. "Using money from his bus and train operations, he is committed to funding a high-profile campaign to pressure the Scottish Parliament to ditch its promise to repeal Section 28.

"It is apparently Mr. Souter's intention to use his immense wealth to subvert the public and parliamentary majorities in favor of equality. If we allow millionaires like him to distort the balance of public debate, democracy is finished. No one should be able to spend their way to political victory."

Chinese Teenagers Distribute Gay Publication

Two Hong Kong teenagers are distributing 3,000 copies of the newsletter of the gay group Rainbow to students at the island's high schools.

Abra Lee, 16, and Yip Yee-man, 19, have been denounced by some school officials for their efforts, but they remain undeterred.

"We hope that people are aware that homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual relationships exist," Yip told the South China Morning Post. "We feel some teachers do not have enough knowledge about the issue. They immediately relate homosexual people to AIDS and say gay people are very casual about sexual relationships. Some teachers believe a person is taught to be homosexual rather than born to be one."

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Chinese Student Group Attacked

Gay Chinese to Meet in Hong Kong

Hong Kong to Celebrate First Pride Day

Related Sites:
OutRage! Londong

Stagecoach Holdings

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Police will not Protect Salvadorian Activist

El Salvador's National Civil Police (PNC) has declined to assign officers to protect gay leader William Hernandez and his family, who have been targeted with death threats.

Police Chief Mauricio Sandoval agreed that Hernandez, his family, and some other members of the gay group Entre Amigos qualify for assistance under the nation's Protection for Important People program, but Sandoval said he would not actually assign any cops to Hernandez' case because the officers do not share Hernandez' "sexual tastes" and thus would be uncomfortable.

Sandoval suggested instead that Entre Amigos hire private security officers which the PNC would train, or that the gay group give the PNC a list of names of gay and lesbian cops who could be considered for the assignment.

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission is "appalled at the casual insensitivity and callous indifference of the Salvadoran police" and urges activists to fax Sandoval at 011-503-271-4422 and Attorney General for the Defense of Human Rights Eduardo Penate Polanco at 011-503-271-2886. Fax a copy of the letters to Entre Amigos at 011-503-225-4213.