Canadian Small Town Endorses Gay Pride

The City Council of Nelson, British Columbia, voted 4-3 to proclaim Gay Pride Day and support a downtown pride banner for the Sept. 5 parade.

Kootenay Gay Pride spokeswoman Catherine Fisher said: "I'm personally very pleased that City Council decided to go in this direction. I'm disappointed that it was a 4-to-3 decision, but you need time to let social change filter through."

Mayor Gary Exner voted against the proclamation, saying, "Of all the letters and phone calls I got, more than 90 percent were against it."

Nelson, pop. 9,500, is 412 miles (663 km) east of Vancouver and 34 miles (55 km) north of where Washington, Idaho and British Columbia intersect.

Canadian Journalist Wins Spousal Benefits

A journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Edmonton, Alberta, won spousal benefits for his lover August 1 in a ruling by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Lionel Jones.

"It's a great victory," said Denis-Martin Chabot, who first filed an arbitration grievance over the matter in 1994.

The ruling seemingly removes any doubt that an employer can withhold gay-partner benefits when union agreements ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, activists said.

Is American Airlines Snubbing Gays in Costa Rica?

In the U.S., American Airlines is a frequent sponsor and supporter of gay events. But Costa Rica's Pink Triangle Association (PTA) says the airline won't give the group the time of day.

"The manager here in San Jose, Rodrigo Troyo, has never returned our phone calls or responded to our [faxed] requests to meet with him," said Pink Triangle Executive Director Francisco Madrigal. "This behavior gives the impression that American Airlines in Costa Rica is homophobic."

Troyo did fax PTA suggesting they contact American's head office in Dallas.

"We sent a fax to Dallas and left messages but have never received a response," said Madrigal. "We would like some help from the office here in San Jose as international calls are expensive for us."

Madrigal asks activists worldwide to meet with local American Airlines officials and request that Troyo meet with PTA.