Boston Gay Men's Chorus to hold concert in Prague in support of same-sex partnerships

An American gay men's chorus will give a concert in Prague in support of same-sex partnership recognition in the Czech Republic, an activist said Thursday. Jiri Hromada of the Gay Initiative said the Boston Gay Men's Chorus will give a concert in the Czech capital's famous Rudolfinum concert hall on Friday, at the end of their European tour. The 110-man chorus will sing songs by Richard Strauss, Antonin Dvorak, and George Gershwin at its concert, an event to show support for proposed Czech legislation that would grant some legal rights to same-sex couples, Hromada said. Earlier this month the parliament's lower chamber agreed to discuss such a law, but it was not immediately clear when the final vote on the proposal could be expected. If passed, the legislation would allow gay and lesbian couples who register their union with authorities to enjoy rights in areas such as inheritance and health care that are similar to those granted now to heterosexual married couples. The draft, however, does not allow marriage or adoption of children. Czech lawmakers already have turned down similar proposals several times, most recently in February. Spain became the third country in the world on Thursday to officially recognize same-sex marriage nationwide, after the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada's house of commons passed legislation Tuesday that would legalize same-sex marriage by the end of July as long as the senate also passes the bill, which it is expected to do. In the United States, Massachusetts is the only state that allows such unions.