Uruguay’s House of Representatives passed a civil-union law for gay and straight couples Nov. 29.

The measure had passed the Senate in September. It is expected to become law before year’s end.

Uruguay will be the first Latin American country to grant same-sex couples access to civil unions on the national level.

Couples must live together for five years before they can take advantage of the law.

Spousal rights will be granted in areas such as health care, pensions, parenting and inheritance.

Other Latin American localities with civil-union laws include the city of Buenos Aires, the Argentine province of Río Negro, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, Mexico City, and the Mexican state of Coahuila, which borders Texas.

Australian gay activists expressed satisfaction with the Nov. 24 election defeat of anti-gay longtime Liberal Prime Minister John Howard.

In 2004, Howard successfully pushed for a national ban on same-sex marriage and, in 2006, he squashed a civil-union law passed by the Australian Capital Territory, a jurisdiction similar to Washington, D.C.

Losing both his PM job and his longtime seat in Parliament, Howard was replaced by Kevin Rudd of the Labor Party, which has pledged to end financial and legal discrimination against same-sex couples by modifying 58 federal statutes.

Activists said they will hold Rudd’s feet to the fire on that promise and other gay-friendly Labor pledges, including the party’s stated support for the ACT civil-union law.

The International Lesbian and Gay Association will stage its third Asia Regional Conference Jan. 24-27 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Titled Equality in Diversity Now!, the gathering aims to recognize “the diverse ways by which genders and sexualities are experienced and defined in Asia and appreciate the different areas of activism LGBT groups focus on in their respective countries.”

“This conference will further advance the struggle for visibility, social acceptance, and decriminalization of LGBT persons in Asian societies,” the organization said. “A most significant part of this conference will be the creation of a clear organizational structure and action agenda through an ILGA-Asia regional board and secretariat.”

Local organizers include Chiang Mai GLBT groups and the Committee on Lesbigay Rights in Burma. Sponsors include the Dutch organization HIVOS (Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation), the Dutch organization Oxfam Novib and the Global Fund for Women. Additional sponsors are needed.

ILGA is a 30-year-old federation of more than 600 GLBT organizations and associated members, such as city governments, from 90 countries. It has played a key role over the years in developments such as Amnesty International’s decision to adopt persecuted homosexuals as prisoners of conscience and the World Health Organization’s decision to remove homosexuality from its list of illnesses.

U.S. Christian singers Jason and deMarco, who are a gay couple, have received permission to perform in Singapore on Dec. 13.

The decision was a surprise given that the government has been on a gay-ban spree this year, prohibiting a gay photo exhibition, a gay story-reading event, a forum on gay legal issues, and a speech by Metropolitan Community Churches founder Troy Perry.

Gay sex is illegal in Singapore and punishable with two years in prison.

But Jason and deMarco, who were banned as recently as 2005, got a green light this time after organizers convinced the Media Development Authority that “the aim of the concert is AIDS education and HIV prevention ... targeted at the high-risk groups,” an MDA spokesperson said.

Some 20,000 people turned out for a Pride celebration in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 16.

The organizers, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MOVILH), said it was the nation’s largest Pride event ever. Their demands included passage of anti-discrimination and civil-union legislation.

The festivities on Paseo Bulnes featured 22 DJs performing on three stages, go-go dancers and drag shows.

“It was an incredible, emotional scene,” MOVILH said in a statement. “A real charge of energy to continue fighting against discrimination. A thousand and one times we will say that moments like these are unique – seeing thousands of people exercising, not just demanding, their right to free expression.”

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet sent a letter to the festival supporting MOVILH’s goals.

“Her Excellency is conscious of your sustained effort for the acceptance of sexual minorities and supports you in this act of integration of equality,” she said. “We express to you, and to all who participate in this event, the best wishes for success and we send you an affectionate greeting.”

A similar Pride event in Santiago in July attracted some 5,000 people to the Plaza de Armas for seven hours of dancing, music and drag performances.

A São Paulo court has ordered the Brazilian TV network Rede TV to pay $42.7 million to model Carlos Alberto Cunha Gonçalves after he was outed by a guest on the talk show Superpop, GayNewsWatch.com reported Nov. 23.

Judge Carlos Dias Motta ruled that the remark invaded Gonçalves’ privacy.

“Programs that are notoriously sensationalist should at a minimum make sure to respect the dignity of individuals because freedom of expression, achieved at a high price, cannot justify violating privacy, which is also a principle of the Federal Constitution,” Motta said.

The first-ever Kyrgyz-language pamphlet on GLBT issues has hit the streets of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the BBC reported.

Syinat Sultanalieva of the local GLBT group Labrys said 5,000 copies of the brochure were printed.

It “aims at providing objective and open information about homosexuals, and calls for an understanding attitude toward them,” she said.

Assistance: Bill Kelley.