By Christopher Cappiello

Gay Couples Can Adopt in England and Wales

On Dec. 30, the Adoption and Children Act 2002 took effect in England and Wales, granting adoption rights to unmarried couples, including same-sex couples. Until then, only married and single parents could adopt in those UK countries.

"These changes will have a major impact on thousands of families," said Felicity Collier, chief executive of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, in a statement. "We know there are people eagerly awaiting the 30th of December, because they are an unmarried couple who would like to adopt jointly. Opening up adoption to unmarried partners will encourage more people to consider adoption, and this is very important at a time when too many children wait too long in temporary care waiting for an adoptive family or, in some cases, never have the chance of adoption at all."

BAAF told Agence France Presse that 3,800 children were adopted in England and Wales in 2004, but an additional 1,000- 2,000 children did not find adoptive families. England and Wales join Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium as European countries that allow gay couples to adopt. Ireland allows gay individuals, whether single or in a relationship, to adopt. In the United States, gay couples can currently adopt in nine states (California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Vermont and Washington) and the District of Columbia. While many states allow single gays and lesbians to adopt, gay adoption is essentially outlawed in Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Utah.

Irish Officials Consider Civil Unions

Just before Christmas, Ireland's Minister of Justice Michael McDowell announced the formation of a working group within the government to consider new laws establishing civil unions for gay and cohabiting couples, the Irish Examiner reports. The Dec. 21 announcement had been anticipated, but was nevertheless met with enthusiasm by gay rights activists in the Emerald Isle.

"We feel there is a real commitment to examine this issue and not to delay the matter," Keith O'Malley, chief executive of Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, told the Examiner. "We had a good meeting with the minister and believe that this is a very important development for the gay community."

The announcement came on the first day that the new Civil Partnership Act took effect in Britain, which allows for civil unions for same-sex couples in neighboring Northern Ireland.

"Our view was that the center of gravity in Ireland has shifted," McDowell told the Examiner. "The Irish people know that being fair to everyone in the community is good for everyone in the community. And in that sense, I think that old-fashioned attitudes have moderated quite a deal," he explained, when questioned about the predominantly Catholic country's openness to such unions.

The government's working group is scheduled to provide recommendations as soon as March. Expectations are that proposed civil unions will come with the same benefits of marriage in the areas of income tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, property rights, next-of-kin designation, social welfare and travel rights. "Same-sex couples don't have joint tax assessment and there is no legal recognition of their partnership when it comes to rearing a child," Equality Authority CEO Niall Crowley told the Examiner. "Such legal recognition is crucial to create a cultural climate where discrimination can be stamped out."

China to Double AIDS Spending

China will nearly double its spending on HIV/AIDS prevention in the next two years, spending $185 million each year, as it steps up what many international health experts consider a slow response to the virus, Reuters reports. In 2005 China spent almost $100 million in prevention programs, according to the official China Daily news agency. As recently as 2001, the country of more than one billion people spent approximately $12 million on HIV/AIDS prevention.

China claims it has 840,000 people with HIV, but Reuters reports that public health experts make much higher estimates. A poorly managed blood-selling project in the Henan Province in the mid-1990s may have resulted in more than one million infections alone, the news service reports. The Chinese government has announced its determination to keep the number of HIV-positive people under 1.5 million by 2010. The World Health Organization has warned that the country may find itself with upwards of 10 million people living with HIV/AIDS by that date if prevention programs aren't accelerated.

Indian Barbers Recruited to Combat HIV/AIDS

In a grassroots effort to overcome the country's longstanding reluctance to discuss sex and sexuality, thousands of barbers in India are being trained to educate their customers about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention, according to the BBC. "It is tricky to bring up the subject at times, as some people are uncomfortable," Ganga Ram Thakur told the BBC at his Delhi barbershop. "But most of them are interested in hearing what I say. I tell them about AIDS and how it can be prevented. I also distribute condoms to customers."

The Barbers Intervention Project was conceived and implemented by Francois-Xavier Bagnoud, a Swiss nonprofit aid agency dedicated to health-related issues. FXB recognized that the barbershop is a social place for many Indian men, and that the barber is often a trusted figure, even itinerant barbers who travel from village to village. "Men are still shy about discussing their sexual encounters, but I find they tell me things they wouldn't even tell their wives," New Delhi barber Ganga Ram told the Associated Press.

In addition to distributing information and condoms, more than 10,000 Indian barbers have been trained to sterilize razors and scissors to help prevent HIV transmission. The barbers program has also allowed for information to reach gay and bisexual men, in spite of India's laws against sexual activity between two men and the taboo nature of homosexuality. "Even homosexual men need haircuts," Manisha Pal, a coordinator of the program, told the AP. "They have responded well to the program."

India has some of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, and recent estimates are that more than 5 million people are infected in the country of one billion.