Eighty-two gay men, forty-two transvestites and six lesbians were murdered last year in Brazil because of their sexuality, according to a new report from Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB).

A majority of the killings took place in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

"Anti-gay intolerance and violence, particularly killings, are increasing in frequency, cruelty and impunity," GGB said. "[According to] a survey carried out by DataFolha and Agencia do Estado: of all social minorities in Brazil, homosexuals are the main victims of prejudice and discrimination, more hated than blacks, Jews, women, indigenous or elderly people.

"Homosexuals are insulted and assaulted by strangers and relatives, thrown out of their homes, beaten by the police, rejected by churches and by the military."

BRITAIN SENDS GAY COUPLE ON SPY DUTY

The British foreign-intelligence service MI6 has sent its first gay couple off on a spy mission.

Former MI6 deputy head Sir Gerald Warner broke the news in a speech to Friends of the Heath Library last week in north London.

"MI6 is the human end of the intelligence and operates in a straightforward way," Warner said. "It now has a staff of 1,800 and has just sent the first homosexual couple abroad."

ARTHUR C. CLARKE ACCUSED OF PEDOPHILIA

2001: A Space Odyssey author Arthur C. Clarke has been accused of pedophilia by Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper.

The paper quoted Clarke as saying: "Once they have reached the age of puberty it is O.K. ... It doesn't do any harm. ... I think most of the damage comes from the fuss made by hysterical parents afterwards. If the kids don't mind, it is fair enough. ... I am trying to think of the youngest boy I have ever had because, of course, you can't tell it here [in Sri Lanka where I live]."

In a written response to the report, Clarke stated: "I am outraged by the Sunday Mirror's allegations, and I am seeking legal advice. ... Having always had a particular dislike for pedophiles, few charges could be more revolting to me than to be classed as one. Indeed the accusations are such nonsense that I have found it difficult to treat them with the contempt they deserve. My conscience is perfectly clear. In any event, I categorically state that the Sunday Mirror article is grossly defamatory and contains statements which in themselves and by innuendo are quite false, grossly inaccurate and extremely harmful."

Clarke was set to be knighted by Prince Charles in Sri Lanka February 3 but chose to postpone the ceremony after the story broke. He has lived in Sri Lanka for 32 years. The nation, located off the southern tip of India, is well-known for easy access to commercial sex with young men and boys.

Rex Wockner's weekly international news reports dating back to May 1994 can be searched at http://www.wockner.com.

The reports in their original form are archived at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/world/wockner.html, which also archives Wockner's Quote Unquote column and some of his longer gay-press articles.