Israel's High Court of Justice Sept. 21 ordered the Ministry of Education to air a gay-themed film it had banned from the state- run Educational Television network.

"The film reflects a reality which is useless to try to avoid," Chief Justice Aharon Barak ruled in a case brought by gay organizations. "In a world progressing towards the year 2000, homosexuality no longer represents a perversion that needs to be denounced, condemned and fought. Hiding in the closet and denouncing it will not lead to a decrease in the extent of the phenomenon."

The film, in which gay/lesbian youth talk about their experiences, was produced by the Education Ministry itself for its "Cards On The Table" series.

After the ruling, Education Minister Zevulun Hammer, an Orthodox Jew, reiterated his opposition, calling the film "inappropriate" and "unbalanced."

"Approval of the program as it is depicts homosexuality to youths as an alternative to a normal, traditional family," he said. "It was important to ensure that this type of program display balance and present the nature, advantages and respect of the normal, traditional family unit in Israel."

Deputy Minister of Health and Knesset member Rabbi Shlomo Benizri was even more adamant.

"This is a poverty certificate for the High Court which is already lacking in spirituality and Judaism, Jewish ethics and values," he said. "This is the homosexual that broke the High Court's back. As far as I am concerned, the next stage of the Court's enlightenment is to appoint a declared homosexual to the Supreme Court, or that one of them, if there are any, will come out of the closet. ... Why not? There is nothing to be ashamed of. The restraints have been lifted and the perversion has been allowed."

FORMER ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT BANANA'S SODOMY TRIAL BEGINS

The sexual-assault trial of former Zimbabwean President Canaan Banana began last week in Harare's High Court but was promptly suspended to await a ruling on whether Banana can receive a fair trial.

He is charged with 11 counts of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault on seven aides, a cook, a gardener and a bodyguard.

Banana, 62, claims innocence. "The so-called allegations are a mortuary of pathological lies, a malicious vendetta of vilification and character assassination," he said.

Current President Robert Mugabe is viciously homophobic. Homosexuals are "repugnant to my human conscience ... immoral and repulsive," he has said. Gay sex is "an abomination" and "sub-animal behavior" and citizens should "hand [gays] over to the police. ... I don't believe they have any rights at all," he stated in 1995

SOMALI HOMOSEXUAL EXECUTED WITHOUT TRIAL FOR RAPE

A Somali homosexual who confessed to raping a boy was machine-gunned to death by prison guards in north Mogadishu Sept. 16, the daily newspaper Qaran reported.

Islamic Court militiamen carried out the execution before Osman Abdi Haji had been tried or sentenced.

"He had committed a crime against nature," said Ahmed Abdullahi Aden, who was visiting a relative at the prison. "They gave him relief by machine-gunning him. ... We wanted Haji to be stoned to death."

North Mogadishu is controlled by Ali Mahdi Mohamed's Somali Salvation Alliance faction.

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