South Africa’s Civil Union Act was signed into law by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on Nov. 30 and took immediate effect. President Thabo Mbeki was out of the country.

A response to a Constitutional Court ruling which declared the Marriage Act’s discrimination against same-sex couples unconstitutional, the oddly worded Civil Union Act provides for the “voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnized and registered by either a marriage or civil union.”

Mlambo-Ngcuka said the new law “is in line with the constitutional court judgment … which found that the common law definition of marriage in the Marriage Act, 1961, is inconsistent with the constitution of the Republic of South Africa.”

It was not immediately clear if this means South Africa has legalized full same-sex marriage – as in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and Spain – or something “separate but equal” for same-sex couples, as numerous nations have done. The wording of the Marriage Act itself has not been directly changed.

Meanwhile, on Nov. 23 the Constitutional Court granted same-sex couples – married, civil-unioned or not – the same inheritance rights as opposite-sex couples.

The court ordered that in all relevant legislation – including laws that govern inheritance when there is no will – every mention of the word “spouse” be changed to “spouse or partner in a permanent same-sex life partnership in which the partners have undertaken reciprocal duties of support.”

The ruling came in a case brought by a gay man whose home was taken away by his partner’s parents after the partner died.

Argentina’s Supreme Court ordered the Justice Department to officially register the Association for the Struggle of the Travesti and Transsexual Identity on Nov. 22.

The department’s General Inspectorate of Justice had declined to recognize the group and was backed up by a lower court which said the association’s goals went against “the common good.”

The new ruling said the earlier determinations violated the nation’s guarantees of freedom of association.

Some 20,000 people turned out for Buenos Aires’ 15th Pride parade Nov. 25, organizers said.

The procession began at the famous Casa Rosada and proceeded up Avenida de Mayo to a rally and dance at the Plaza of the Two Congresses.

Marchers demanded an end to discrimination, equal treatment for transgender people and legalization of same-sex marriage.

Brazil’s lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, passed a bill Nov. 23 banning discrimination based on sexual orientation under penalty of one to five years in jail.

The measure would apply in areas that include housing, employment and public accommodations. It also criminalizes attempts to prevent public displays of homosexual affection and prohibits offensive references to sexual orientation.

The measure now moves to the Senate.

Despite a history of government hostility and bans across the nation, a gay rights parade came off smoothly in Poznan, Poland, Nov. 19.

Reports said police cleared neo-Nazi protesters and other homophobes from the parade’s path as marchers approached and occupied the city’s Freedom Square.

Last year’s parade was banned by Poznan officials. When about 65 people tried to march anyway, they were pursued by members of the group All Polish Youth chanting, “Let’s gas the fags.”

When police ordered the marchers to halt, they sat down in the street and were aggressively arrested. They were later released without charge.

A local court later declared the city’s ban in violation of both Polish and European law.

Two transvestites were gunned down outside a bar in Guatemala City Nov. 22.

The two individuals, who were hit several times each, were at least the 10th and 11th transvestites murdered in the nation this year.

Gay leaders say police make little effort to solve such killings and are likely involved in some of them as well.

Beijing police arrested AIDS activist Wan Yanhai, director of the nongovernmental Aizhixing Institute of Health Education, on Nov. 24.

They forced him to cancel a conference about HIV transmission via blood transfusions that was scheduled to take place Nov. 25-30 and then released him Nov. 27.

In an e-mail written in the third person, Wan said: “Wan Yanhai has expressed his intention to actively seek for the government’s support and understanding in the future so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. At the same time, he also hopes the relevant health departments will pay attention to the requests of thousands of people infected by blood transfusion and provide them with compensation, treatment and care.”

In 2002, Wan was detained for two months after exposing an epidemic of HIV transmission via blood transfusions in Henan province.

Between 10 percent and 18 percent of gay men in central Sydney are now infected with HIV, Australia’s National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research said Nov. 26.

The infection rate has been climbing in recent years because of an apparent breakdown in safer-sex practices.

Assistance: Bill Kelley