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Dec. 1st, 2005
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Dec. 1st, 2005 22:17South Africa, December 1st, 2005.
Today our Constitutional Court determined that denying same sex couples the rights and responsibilities of heterosexual couples was discriminatory and unconstitutional, and gave Parliament a year to go through the necessary Acts and change words like husband or wife to spouse – in other words, complete equality with no reference to gender. And the sky didn’t fall. Sometimes I am just so proud of my country.
Today is World Aids Day. We are very aware of that here. Depending on whose figures you choose to believe, we have up to four MILLION people living with HIV/AIDS in this rather small country. More women then men. Many children. Far too many children. It doesn’t happen to ‘other people’ here, it isn’t confined to one small group, it can’t be ignored, none of us can afford to be judgmental or self righteous. Those who have access to the better organised medical facilities take their anti retrovirals and their vitamins. And the others? Untreated, AIDS kills.
Today our Constitutional Court determined that denying same sex couples the rights and responsibilities of heterosexual couples was discriminatory and unconstitutional, and gave Parliament a year to go through the necessary Acts and change words like husband or wife to spouse – in other words, complete equality with no reference to gender. And the sky didn’t fall. Sometimes I am just so proud of my country.
Today is World Aids Day. We are very aware of that here. Depending on whose figures you choose to believe, we have up to four MILLION people living with HIV/AIDS in this rather small country. More women then men. Many children. Far too many children. It doesn’t happen to ‘other people’ here, it isn’t confined to one small group, it can’t be ignored, none of us can afford to be judgmental or self righteous. Those who have access to the better organised medical facilities take their anti retrovirals and their vitamins. And the others? Untreated, AIDS kills.
