BY ROB SALERNO - A photo exhibit by Indian-Canadian artist Sunil Gupta was censored by Indian police following an anonymous complaint that the pictures are obscene. 

The exhibit, titled Sun City and Other Stories: Paris-San Francisco-Delhi, was on display in the New Delhi Alliance Française and opened to a positive response March 23, according to The Hindu. It consisted of 16 still colour photos taken in Paris, highlighting the city's gay life. 

Following a complaint, the Delhi police sent in an inspector to speak with the Alliance management. Apparently, the Alliance decided to close the exhibit following the inspector's visit, although an official with the Alliance claims that the decision was made in consultation with Gupta. 

Gupta claims he was told by a third party that the exhibition would be shut down.

One of the obscene photos from Sun City.

Xtra has previously reported about Gupta's work in Canada and his recently published book, Queer. 

India is the world's largest democracy by population. Although unofficial discrimination is still common, gays recently won a court case decriminalizing gay sex, which has resulted in slowly changing attitudes on the subcontinent and has led India to emerge as a growing gay tourist destination. 

Unfortunately, a challenge to the decriminalization case has been brought before India's Supreme Court. The court recently decided to reserve its judgment in the case, meaning a decision will not be rendered for several months. 

BY ROB SALERNO -  According to a Fox News report, Albania legalized gay marriage in 2009, which must come as a shock to the tiny Adriatic nation that is planning to host its first gay pride rally this coming May.

Albania did discuss passing a gay marriage law in 2009 — and the proposal was even backed by the prime minister. But unfortunately, the measure didn't pass. On the plus side, Albania did pass one of Europe's toughest anti-discrimination laws, which bans discrimination on ground of gender identity. European Union minimum standards are simply that sexual orientation is banned as a ground of discrimination. Albania is a candidate country for membership in the EU.

Actually, that Fox News report deals mostly with the reprehensible comments made by an Albanian legislator when Albania's Pride march was announced. Deputy Defence Minister Ekrem Spahiu (pictured above) said participants in the parade "should be beaten with batons." The prime minister and the EU have condemned the comments and urged Spahiu to apologize.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Serbia, Mladen Obradovic, the leader of the extremist group Obraz, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for uttering death threats that led to the cancellation of the 2009 Belgrade Pride parade. Obraz had painted graffiti around the capital, saying "Death to gays" and "Blood will flow," in the days leading up to the parade. Obradovic has already been sentenced to two years in prison for inciting violence at the 2010 Belgrade Pride parade. He remains free while appealing both verdicts.

Also, just on the edge of the Balkan peninsula, in a referendum March 25, Slovenians rejected a proposed new family law that would allow gays and lesbians to form registered partnerships that would give them limited adoption rights and many of the same rights as heterosexual couples with regard to inheritance, property and hospital visitation. Conservatives and the Catholic Church marshalled voters to reject the proposed bill after forcing a referendum. On a shockingly low turnout of around 15 percent, Slovenes rejected the bill 55 to 45, despite the fact that the general population widely supported the bill in opinion polls. Slovenia reverts to its communist-era 1976 Family Law and cannot consider a new law for a full year.

Standard marriage equality boilerplate:

In June, Washington will join New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia in allowing gay marriage. Same-sex marriage was also recently passed in Maryland, but it won't take effect until next year. Efforts are under way to force referenda to overturn same-sex marriage in Maryland and Washington before they start. The status of gay marriage in California is currently the subject of appeals to the unconstitutionality of the state's anti-gay-marriage referendum, Prop 8, which will likely end with a decision by the US Supreme Court. Lawmakers are also debating the issue in Illinois. Of course, none of these marriages convey the full benefits of marriage, because the federal Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing gay marriages and allows states not to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Ten countries already allow full marriage equality nationwide: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Denmark announced plans to legalize same-sex marriage by June. Brazil allows same-sex marriages in theory, through roundabout rulings of its state and federal Supreme Courts, but they've been performed only in some states. Mexico recognizes same-sex marriages performed in Mexico City only.

Israel recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere only. There are ongoing debates about allowing same-sex marriage in Australia, Finland and Uruguay. France's Socialist Party is expected to campaign on the issue in national elections this year.

BY ROB SALERNO - The CBC and BBC have a horrifying story about the things gay Turkish men must do to prove they're gay so that they're disqualified from compulsory military service. 

In order to prove their homosexuality, gay Turks are forced to submit to medical exams, even though doctors there have sworn there's no way to diagnose homosexuality. Conscripts describe being forced to answer humiliating questions about their tastes in sports and music and about whether they enjoy wearing women's clothes and perfume. 

One conscript describes being asked to submit pictures of himself in drag, kissing a male partner or having sex. He says he was told his face must be visible and he must be the passive partner for it to count.

To be clear, this is all so that gay Turks can take advantage of an anti-gay, discriminatory law to get out of an obligation they'd rather not pursue but that all Turks are compelled to fulfill.

Sure, it would be preferable for there not to be compulsory military service at all, but the end of the anti-gay discrimination would eliminate the need to prove one's homosexuality while also compelling these gays to do the awful thing they're forced to degrade themselves to avoid.

That said, the CBC notes that while homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, it's still very much frowned upon, especially outside of the big cities. It's conceivable that the anti-gay culture of the Turkish military contibutes to the hostile environment they're trying to avoid. (But I would bet it has more to do with the rocket fire from rebels and enemy combatants.)

BY ANDREA HOUSTON - UPDATE:

The Ontario Court of Appeal has struck down two provisions criminalizing sex work in Ontario and ruled that the prohibition of bawdy houses is unconstitutional.

The five judges ruled unanimously that sex workers in Ontario will be allowed to work legally in brothels.

However, the court did not strike down one provision around communication, ruling that communication for the purposes of prostitution is not allowed. 

Judges said the decision will go a long way to protecting sex workers from harm. 

Xtra is following the story. Stay tuned to xtra.ca for more.  

March 26: Today Ontario decides whether to scrap the laws that keep sex work illegal.

The Ontario Court of Appeal is expected to release its ruling in a case concerning the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution laws.

Bedford and her fellow plaintiffs have been waiting months for this decision. The federal and Ontario governments appealed an Ontario Superior Court ruling by Ontario Justice Susan Himel last year.

Prostitution itself is not illegal; however, three key activities surrounding it are.

Himel struck down three laws — communicating for the purposes of prostitution, keeping a common bawdyhouse and living on the avails of the trade. She ruled that the laws made sex work more dangerous.

“By increasing the risk of harm to street prostitutes, the communicating law is simply too high a price to pay for the alleviation of social nuisance,” Himel said, as reported in The Globe and Mail. “I find that the danger faced by prostitutes greatly outweighs any harm which may be faced by the public.” 

The government argued there is no obligation to maximize the safety of sex workers because it is not a constitutionally protected right to engage in the sex trade.

Himel ruled the laws were putting sex workers in danger and violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

For the past four years, lawyer and Osgoode Hall professor Alan Young has represented sex workers Bedford, Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, who are challenging the laws that criminalize sex work in Canada. He argued the appeal in June in front of five judges.

"It's a matter of life and death," Scott told the Canadian Press.

In this video clip, Bedford explains to The Globe and Mail the dangers faced by sex workers. She also has fierce words for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, saying he is hiding behind the courts and he needs to come out and fight like a man.

Young sounded confident about the pending decision when he spoke to Xtra in December.

“I had a good time in the Ontario Court of Appeal,” he said. “I just got to sit back and watch the government squirm as they tried to overturn this decision.”

This is a lecture featuring Young at his most captivating, laying out his case. It’s 45 minutes, but I highly recommend you take the time to watch the whole thing.

AddThis Button END  

BY ANDREA HOUSTON - The night Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was honoured with the Ally Award from PFLAG Toronto, he presented a gift of his own.

On behalf of the Leafs, Burke gave the Toronto Police Service a new police horse named “Moose,” the nickname he called his son Brendan, on Jan 16. Brendan came out very publicly in 2007. Shockingly and sadly, he died in a car accident in 2010.

Since then, Burke has become a vocal advocate for gay rights and is currently on a mission with his son Patrick to eradicate homophobia from hockey through the You Can Play project.

The horse appears as a $6,650 item in the police board agenda, released March 22.

(Photo of Moose courtesy of Mark Hayes, Toronto police.)

Xtra’s coverage:

Our profile of Brian Burke: EXCLUSIVE: Game Changer

Canucks stars have a message for gay athletes: You Can Play

EDITORIAL: Come out, straight allies 

Will the Burkes' You Can Play campaign change hockey culture?

Brian Burke speaks at safe schools event:
   

Brian Burke on homophobia in professional sports: