THIS WAY OUT : THE INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN RADIO MAGAZINE, PROGRAM NO. 708 (October 22, 2001)

THIS WAY OUT the international gay & lesbian radio magazine Program #708 distributed 10/22/01: (hosted this week by Greg Gordon and produced with Lucia Chappelle) (Program I.D. #02-F72-00043) Re: "This Way Out" #708 info/promo Bias on the ballot in Michigan and Texas what's at stake; Germany seeks gay Nazi victims to compensate; The U.S. Navy apologizes for that "fag" bombshell, California same gender couples rights get a big boost, Manitoba co-moms nurture adoption reform legislation, Finnish Supremes choose non-bio co-mom for child custody over the bio-dad, an Aussie court validates a transman's marriage, & other news* In "NewsWrap": The U.S. Navy issues a rare apology to the nation's gays and lesbians for "High Jack (sic) This Fags"... the governor's signature adds a dozen significant legal rights to California's domestic partnership registry... 4 Canadian lesbian co-parents sue the province of Manitoba to legally co-adopt their partners' biological children, while Finland's Supreme Court grants custody of the children of a deceased lesbian mother to her longtime partner (whom the children expressed a strong desire to stay with) rather than to their biological father... over 400 Czech gays and lesbians demonstrate in Prague for partnership rights... a landmark legal ruling in Australia affirms the validity of a marriage between a female-to-male transsexual and his wife... and other GLBT news from around the world [written by CINDY FRIEDMAN and anchored by CINDY FRIEDMAN and GREG GORDON].(about 10:00)* In breaking news, openly-gay interim Berlin, Germany Mayor Klaus Wowereit won formal election on October 21st by a landslide. GREG GORDON has a brief report.(about :45)* It was a milestone when the German government agreed to add gay victims of Nazi persecution to the list of minorities eligible for compensation -- but now there's a major obstacle standing in the way of the distribution of those funds: locating those who are eligible. As This Way Out's LUCIA CHAPPELLE reports, officials are appealing to the international gay and lesbian community for help (with comments by DIRK DE WINTER of the International Organization for Migration, the group that administers the Swiss Bank and German compensation programs).(about 5:30)* Lesbigay rights are being challenged on the ballot this November 6th in four U.S. cities: HOUSTON, TEXAS, and HUNTINGTON WOODS, KALAMAZOO, and TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN. The stakes are high, according to local activists who addressed the press this week in a teleconference arranged by the national gay and lesbian lobbying group the Human Rights Campaign: GRANT MARTIN, Campaign Manager for People for a Fair Houston; MARI COOPER, Campaign Manager for Fair and Informed Residents of Huntington Woods; ROBERT DEMPSEY, Campaign Manager for Kalamazoo Against Discrimination; and PAUL HEATON, Campaign Co-Chair for Traverse City Campaign Against Discrimination. Also commenting are BETH BASHERT, President of the statewide group Michigan Equality, and SETH KILBOURN, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign.(about 9:30).