Bermuda to vote
on gay rights measure

Bermuda's parliament is expected to vote next week on a landmark bill banning antigay discrimination . Parliament member and former tourism minister Renee Webb told The Royal Gazette that she planned to propose an amendment to the island nation's 1981 Human Rights Act that would make it illegal to deny a person employment or housing based on their sexual orientation. Both of Bermuda's major political parties have announced that they will allow their representatives to vote their consciences, rather than along party lines. And Webb told the Gazette she expected the measure to pass, saying, "I think the majority of members of parliament are right-thinking people, and so I expect it to go through." Webb added that she believed MPs would have the courage to put their belief in good human rights legislation ahead of their fear of "losing the church vote." Webb is expected to put her amendment forward as early as Monday. (Sirius OutQ News)