By Christopher Cappiello

Zimbabwe Dictator Accuses Gay Activist in Coup Plot

Longtime Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe accused London-based gay rights activist Peter Tatchell of playing a role in an alleged coup attempt, Agence-France Presse reports. Tatchell, who has spoken out against Mugabe's harsh regime for many years and has attempted several citizen's arrests of the 82-year-old dictator, called the allegations "downright laughable."

On March 9 the Zimbabwe state television showed footage of a cache of arms allegedly uncovered in the city of Mutare and intended for a coup attempt by an underground opposition group, the Zimbabwean Freedom Movement. "Once in 2003 I was asked by Zimbabwean activists to distribute in the United Kingdom a ZFM launch press communiqué and video recording," Tatchell said in a statement. "That was the start and finish of my connection with ZFM."

Over his 26-year reign in Zimbabwe, Mugabe has frequently denounced homosexuals as being "less than dogs." As recently as a February 2006 rally celebrating his birthday, Mugabe condemned churches that bless gay partnerships and called same-sex marriage a threat to humanity. The U.S. State Department's 2005 Human Rights Country Report concluded, "In Zimbabwe, the government maintained a steady assault on human dignity and basic freedoms, tightening its hold on civil society and human rights [non-governmental organizations] and manipulating the March parliamentary elections."

"Mugabe's henchmen claim I was involved in opening a bank account in Mozambique to finance the overthrow of the Zimbabwean government," Tatchell told A-FP. "That is a joke. I can't raise enough money to staff an office for my own human rights work, let alone fund an insurrection. If I was part of a plot I would be shouting it from the rooftops."

Tatchell has tried to conduct citizen's arrests of Mugabe in London, Brussels, and Paris on charges of human rights violations.

Czech Parliament Overrides Veto of Domestic Partnerships

By the thinnest margin possible, the Czech Parliament overrode a presidential veto and passed legislation granting legal recognition to same-sex partnerships on March 15, The Associated Press reports.

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek led the effort to overturn President Vaclav Klaus' February veto of a law extending inheritance and health-care rights to same-sex couples. After many attempts at passing such legislation in recent years, the lower house voted for the bill in December 2005 and the upper house approved it in January. Paroubek convinced 101 of the 200 members of Parliament to side with him, the minimum needed to overturn a veto.

The Czech Republic is the first former Communist country in Europe to legally recognize same-sex couples. The issue is expected to play a part in the June 2006 elections, with Paroubek's Social Democrats claiming to be more in tune with the Czech people than Klaus' more conservative Civic Democrats.

Mussolini Granddaughter -- Better to Be Fascist than Gay

Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Italy's WWII-era fascist dictator and a member of the European Parliament from the far-right Social Alternative Party, defended her political views in a televised debate with a transgender candidate by saying it was "better to be fascist than a faggot," Reuters reports.

Mussolini made the remarks during a March 10 appearance on the Italian television program Porta a Porta while debating Vladimir Luxuria, a Communist Refoundation Party candidate for the EP. Mussolini used the Italian word "frocio," according to Reuters, a derogatory term referring to the backside.

In the colorful world of Italian politics, Mussolini is loosely aligned with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's governing coalition. "Mussolini's comment provides further confirmation, if we ever needed one, that Silvio Belusconi's center-right coalition is deeply homophobic," gay Italian MP Franco Grillini told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Same-sex marriage has become a prominent issue in the campaign leading up to Italy's general election set for April 9-10.

Gay Coming-of-Age Film Sweeps Canadian Oscars

Brokeback Mountain and Capote weren't the only gay-themed films sweeping awards this winter. The French-language film C.R.A.Z.Y. earned 10 Genie Awards at the March 13 ceremony in Toronto honoring the best in Canadian filmmaking, the Globe and Mail reports. C.R.A.Z.Y. tells the heartwarming coming-of-age story of a gay youth in Catholic Quebec in the 1970s.

In addition to best picture honors, filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee won best director, and the film's other nine awards included best actor, supporting actress, original screenplay and art direction. C.R.A.Z.Y. was also Canada's top-grossing film of 2005, earning more than $5.6 million at the box office.

"This is a story of one person, but also of a lot of people because it's a quest, a quest of identity, a quest of love, approbation, everybody in his life goes through that," said Danielle Proulx, best supporting actress winner, in a post-show interview.

Iraqi Cleric Sanctions Death to Gays

Important Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa -- or religious ruling -- against gays and lesbians, LGBT/AIDS activist Peter Tatchell reported March 15 on his Web site (www.petertatchell.net) where he provides links to Sistani's Web site.

According to the translation, Sistani is asked, "What is the judgment for sodomy and lesbianism?" He answers, "Forbidden. Punished, in fact, killed. The people involved should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing."

"Sistani's murderous homophobic incitement has given a green light to Shia Muslims to hunt and kill lesbians and gay men," says exiled gay Iraqi, Ali Hili, of the London-based gay human rights group OutRage, Tatchell reports. "We hold Sistani personally responsible for the murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis. He gives the killers theological sanction and encouragement.

"Grand Ayatollah Sistani is the spiritual leader of all Shia Muslims in Iraq and around the world," Hill continues. "He is also the spiritual leader of the main Islamic fundamentalist movement in Iraq, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). The government in Iraq consults regularly with Sistani on political, social and moral issues. He wields huge influence over Iraqi government policy and the over Iraqi Shia public opinion ... Gay Iraqis are living in fear of discovery and murder."