Hong Kong’s British consulate is eager to perform same-sex unions under the United Kingdom’s new Civil Partnership Act, The Standard newspaper reported Feb. 15.

But the diplomats are waiting for Hong Kong’s government to confirm that it does not object to the ceremonies.

The British law allows embassies and consulates to register same-sex unions of British nationals if the local jurisdiction does not oppose the move. A Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau spokesperson told The Standard the government is reviewing the matter.

The newspaper said some 3.5 million Hong Kong citizens hold British National (Overseas) passports – a travel document given to Hong Kongers who chose not to become solely citizens of China. In addition, about 200,000 British citizens live in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Human Rights Watch said Feb. 16 that Poland’s “official homophobia threatens human rights.”

The new government of President Lech Kaczynski “brings to power officials with long records of opposing gay and lesbian rights,” the group said in a letter to Kaczynski.

“As mayor of Warsaw, President Kaczynski opposed the right of lesbian and gay people to basic freedoms and equal respect,” said Scott Long, director of the organization’s gay rights program. “As president, he will determine whether Poland protects rights or chips away at them. Europe is waiting for the answer.”

In 2004 and 2005, while mayor of Warsaw, Kaczynski banned Pride parades, accusing them of “propagating gay orientation.” He refused to meet with the organizers, reportedly saying, “I am not willing to meet perverts.”

Since Kaczynski was elected president last November, anti-gay rhetoric from members of his Law and Justice Party has escalated, HRW charged.

Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski reportedly complained that Polish “gay people are allowed to conduct perverse demonstrations in the streets, but it is forbidden to discuss the issue of moral censorship.”

Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said that if a homosexual “tries to infect others with their homosexuality, then the state must intervene in this violation of freedom.”

Eleven representatives of the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church, including leader Nancy Wilson, attended the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Feb. 14-23.

The delegation advocated for broader inclusion and acceptance of GLBT people by the more than 347 Christian denominations and church groups in attendance. They conducted workshops, hosted religious services, sponsored an exhibition booth and met one-on-one with delegates.

The assembly, which is held every seven or eight years and attracts some 5,000 people, is one of the broadest global gatherings of its kind. Most member churches identify as Protestant or Orthodox.

Police in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, raided three massage parlors suspected of being “gay haunts” on Feb. 10, the Malay Mail newspaper reported.

They conducted urine testing on 25 men and released them after the tests showed negative for illegal drugs.

The police reported seeing condoms, lube, nudity and men about to engage in what the Mail called “immoral activities.”

Operators of two of the venues were ticketed for operating without a license, the report said.

Portuguese activists handed Parliament a petition urging legalization of same-sex marriage Feb. 16.

It was signed by more than 5,000 people, including many public figures and politicians. By law, any such petition with at least 4,000 signatures must be considered for debate.

Two lesbians were turned away when they tried to get married at Lisbon’s public-registry office Feb. 1. They launched a legal case based on the Constitution’s prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation, which was added in 2004.

Neighboring Spain is one of four nations in the world where same-sex couples have access to regular marriage, along with Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands. A court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in South Africa will take effect Dec. 1 unless Parliament makes the change sooner.

South Korea’s army discharged eight people in 2005 after they came out as gay, the Korea Times reported Feb. 17.

The force bans soldiers with abnormal sexual identities, the newspaper said.

Gay groups recently urged the military to try harder to protect gay conscripts from anti-gay abuse or to offer them an alternative form of military service.

The gay-themed movie Brokeback Mountain won four BAFTA awards, the British equivalent of an Oscar, on Feb. 18.

The hit film received honors for best movie, best director (Ang Lee), best supporting actor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and best adapted screenplay.

“It’s made a social impression, and that social impression to me is the aftermath of an artistic impression, and so much more important,” Gyllenhaal said.

In the U.S., Brokeback Mountain has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. The ceremony takes place March 5.

BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and Television Arts.