Aug 18, 2008

Attention Bishop Greg Venables: Is this why You're NEVER Home at the Anglican Province of Southern Cone-alone?

Argentine gay couples may claim widow's pension
By JEANNETTE NEUMANN –

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina on Monday announced its first nationwide gay-rights measure: granting same-sex couples the right to claim their deceased partners' pensions.

Couples must prove they have been living together for at least five years to receive the benefit, Amado Boudo, executive director of the national social security administration, told local television reporters.

The government's national decree will "put the rights of all cohabitants on a level playing field," Boudo said.

Gay activists welcomed Monday's announcement as the fruition of years of campaigning the government to grant them the same rights as heterosexual married couples.

Gay civil unions already are legal in five cities, including Buenos Aires.

The measure is "historic" and marks a "step forward" for human rights because it is the first nationwide gay-rights measure approved by the government, gay activist Pedro Paradiso Sottile told The Associated Press.

"The government is moving past words to action," said Sottile, an activist with the 24-year-old Argentine Homosexual Community organization in Buenos Aires.

Prior to the new decree, the deceased partners' pensions went directly to the government.

"The state was stealing our money," said Alejandra Portatadino, also a member of the Argentine Homosexual Community, calling the previous law "discriminatory" and "anti-constitutional."

The organization will now focus efforts on nationalizing civil unions, which would confer additional rights to gay couples, such as adoption and inheritance, Sottile said.

Buenos Aires was the first Latin American capital city to legalize gay civil unions in 2002. Since then, the Argentine capital has become one of the hotspots on the international gay-friendly tourist circuit, going head-to-head with Rio de Janeiro.

The soccer-crazed country was host last year to the first international gay world cup as well as the international gay tango festival.


http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYV-b2N41gtKC91WF9hPyb-lsw2w

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEuUg91JcRGwtF9YuZYBIgkr3qSQD92KTBSG0

4 comments:

Cany said...

just think, leonardo, venables COULD help these folks into the church. he could help them in many ways.

but gee, he'd have to spend less time staying home and stealing things instead of evangelizing and doing support and outreach.

which explains everything, doesn't it?

fs said...

But look what's happening in Argentina, despite folks like Venables. Somehow, true civilization keeps opening up and spreading around the world. It's like a genie of goodness that the forces of fear and repression cannot put back into the bottle.

Makes me hopeful!

Leonard said...

Good Morning fs and cany,

Yes, it's a huge force of truth that won't be silenced anymore with the traditional tools of shame, fear and hate...it's not unlike a sub-racist/multi-religious movement...afterall, the truth is that Women, Men, tall and short ones, flaco y gordos, dark and light, Catholic, Muslim/others HAVE ALWAYS been listening to abusive nonsense at Church/beyond...lies/slander and threats won't change anyones sexual orientation and many are celibates anyhow...in a world filled with GREEDY and VILE behavior, I thinks it's time that EACH OF US keep a keen eye pealed on our very own BEHAVIOR...being responsible and accountable for ones ACTUAL character/sins is what it's all about even if one is a Homosexual or a Heterosexual...let's get down to the business of looking in the mirror and standing before God individually instead of demeaning, marginalizing/excluding and demoralizing others at The Body of Christ/beyond...it's all a rather sick and ignorant sham of a mankinds coverup of spiritual and emotional instability.

Fran said...

What great news and it couldn't happen in a better cone...

Time does march on, albeit slowly at times and progress is made.

Thank God!