Tag: marriage equality

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Australia: “Stop The Fags” Posters Appear Ahead Of Marriage Equality Vote

(image via Twitter)

The campaign for marriage equality is getting ugly fast down under in Australia.

Check out the poster above that’s been spotted in Melbourne which claims children of gay parents are disproportionately abused, suffer depression and are obese.

Additionally, a brochure seen in Sydney declares homosexuality as “a tragedy of a family” and a “curse of death in terminating the family line.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who opposes same-sex marriage, denounced the propaganda urging supporters and opponents to “focus on the substance of the debate.”

“I deplore disrespectful, abusive language whether it is directed at young gay people or people of other religions or other races,” he said, according to The Guardian. “If you have friends who are really distressed by this sort of language, stand up for them, put your arms around them.”

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Australians To Consider Same-Sex Marriage Via Non-Binding Mail-In Vote

The Prime Minister of Australia contends that before Parliament moves to legalize marriage equality “down under,” he wants the people of Australia to have their say.

Polls in Australia show overwhelming public support for same-sex marriage – 67% of women and 59% of men in Australia want to see marriage equality become the law of the land.

From UPI:

Australian citizens will be asked where they stand on potential legalization of same-sex marriage in a non-binding mail-in vote, after lawmakers failed to pass legislation Wednesday to make it a national plebiscite vote issue in November.

Canberra’s governing Liberal-National Coalition failed to pass a bill in Parliament that would have secured funding to restore Australia’s compulsory plebiscite on Nov. 25, which means the same-sex marriage vote will instead likely take shape as a voluntary voting effort.

“At the last election, we made a very clear promise to the Australian people that we would not facilitate the introduction of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage until the Australian people had had their say,” Turnbull said in a press conference on Tuesday prior to the plebiscite effort falling short.

The traditional plebiscite and postal votes would not be legally binding if it’s shown that most Australians support legalizing same-sex marriage. Turnbull had said if the plebiscite bill failed, then he would move ahead with the vote-by-mail option.

“We will hold a postal vote on this issue asking the same question in which all Australians will have their say — they will get the opportunity to express their opinion on the issue of whether the law should be changed to enable same-sex couples to marry, fulfilling the commitment we made at the election,” he said.

Some who voted against the plebiscite said they don’t oppose legalization of same-sex marriage, but rather they believe the effort is too expensive and could generate a hate-fueled campaign.

Some lawmakers argue the issue could be resolved with a simple vote in Parliament, but Turnbull’s government seeks to gauge public support first. The Liberal-National Coalition attempted to legalize same-sex marriage last year, but the proposal was narrowly defeated.

As reported above, even if the vote shows same-sex marriage the winner, Aussie lawmakers don’t have to align current laws to reflect that support.

According to Buzzfeed, the “vote by mail” will cost in the neighborhood of $122 million, around $50 million less than a compulsory, in-person ballot.

Or, Parliament could just vote to approve marriage equality – no cost.

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Australia: Liberal MPs Prepare To Vote On Marriage Equality

Openly gay West Australian Liberal senator Dean Smith has begun circulating a bill, a “private member’s bill,” that would legalize marriage between two people in Australia regardless of their gender.

The legislation would allow protections for those who perform weddings to refuse to participate in same-sex marriage celebrations based on religious beliefs. Additionally, wedding industry service providers like bakers, photographers, and florists would be able to legally opt-out based on religious beliefs IF they can prove the business is linked to a religious body.

The bill has been released in advance of a special party room meeting scheduled for Monday in Canberra.

Smith told ABC’s Insiders that the death of a gay 34-year-old Lindt cafe manager in Sydney during a 16-hour terror attack in December 2014 convinced him that marriage equality needs to become a reality. The manager’s partner was left behind in legal limbo even though they had been together for 14 years.

Marriage equality supporters have asked Parliament to approve same-sex marriage for years.

But Prime Minister Turnbull supports a public vote on the matter, a “plebiscite.” But opponents argue a plebiscite would be very costly and, in the end, not legally binding.

Nine News Australia has this report:

Seems like a good time to revisit this terrific video from GetUp! Australia back in 2011. Over 16 million views, and still powerful.

It is time, Australia. It’s time.

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Irish Prime Minister At Belfast Pride: Marriage Equality Is “Only A Matter Of Time” In Northern Ireland

Newly-elected Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, told folks attending a Pride Breakfast in Belfast that marriage equality is “only a matter of time” in Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister, Ireland’s first openly gay leader, is taking part in Belfast Pride as “a gesture of solidarity.”

While the Republic of Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015, Northern Ireland remains the only place in the UK where a ban on same-sex marriage still exists.

Mr. Varadkar assured crowds in Belfast that he was not “here to unsettle anyone.”

“But I am here to state my support and my government’s support for equality before the law and individual freedom for all citizens wherever they may reside,” he said.

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Podcast: Malta Approves Marriage Equality; Broadway’s “Falsettos” In Movie Theaters; New Music From Superfruit

In this episode of The Randy Report podcast:

• The island nation of Malta approves marriage equality with a huge lop-sided Parliament vote

• An attempt to block health care for transgender military service members fails in Congress

• The filmed version of the recent Broadway revival of “Falsettos,” currently being shown in movie theaters across the country, will be extended

• Pop duo Superfruit drops a new music video for their latest – “Worth It (Perfect)”

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

For past episodes, or to subscribe to the podcast for free, click here.

And, by the way, please feel free to share The Randy Report podcast with friends. It’s a great way to catch up on the week’s LGBT political, pop culture and entertainment headlines in about 15 minutes 🙂

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Malta Approves Marriage Equality By Vote Of 66-1

The island nation of Malta became the 24th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage today by as lawmakers in Parliament approved the measure 66-1.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who won a second term in office on June 3, campaigned on a promise to make marriage equality the first vote of the new Parliament.

Malta approved civil unions in 2014, and in December became the first country to ban “ex-gay” torture.

The one “no” vote came from a Christian politician who told reporters, “A Christian politician cannot leave his conscience outside the door when he enters parliament.”

A post shared by MarTina Farrugia (@qnb_teena) on Jul 12, 2017 at 12:38pm PDT

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Germany’s Upper House Approves Marriage Equality Bill, Now Heads To German President’s Desk

Germany’s marriage equality bill sailed through the upper House of Parliament with no challenges, and now heads to the desk of the German President.

From Pink News:

Equal marriage passed through the lower house in the German Parliament last week, after Chancellor Angela Merkel caved in to demands from opposition parties.

The country’s right-wing Chancellor, who has blocked equal marriage for more than a decade, reversed her long-standing policy to allowed her own MPs to vote with their conscience on the issue.

Though Merkel still cast her own vote against the law, it gathered enough support to pass through the Bundestag (lower house) by a vote of 393-296.

Today, the legislation also cleared the Bundesrat (upper house).

Unlike the Bundestag, where Chancellor Merkel’s Grand Coalition holds control, the Bundesrat is controlled by the 16 state governments, with a left-wing majority.

The law effectively passed through the house unanimously, as no state challenged the bill and no vote was called.

The Bundesrat has passed several motions on same-sex marriage before, leading to much of the political pressure on Merkel in the lower house that sparked her climbdown.

A coalition of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left previously submitted a bill to the Bundesrat that would recognise marriages between same-sex couples, which was the basis for the legislation in the Bundestag.

The law will now head to the desk of the country’s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Upon becoming law, Germany would join 13 other European nations that current celebrate marriage equality – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

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Germany’s Parliament Approves Marriage Equality By Vote Of 393 – 226

Germany’s lower chamber of Parliament, the Bundstag, approved a measure by a vote of 393 to 226 to legalize same-sex marriage.

The vote came suddenly after Chancellor Angela Merkel softened her stance on the issue to allow a legislator’s to “vote their conscience” on this last day of the country’s legislative session.

Merkel herself voted against the measure, saying after the vote, “For me and the basic law, it’s about the marriage of a woman and a man. That’s why I voted against it. I hope that the vote today shows not only the mutual respect for different opinions but that this also leads to more peace and social cohesion as well.”

More from the New York Times:

“If the Constitution guarantees one thing, it is that anyone in this country can live as they wish,” Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, said in opening the floor debate. “If gay marriage is decided, then many will receive something, but nobody will have something taken away.”

“It’s very positive for the self-esteem of gays and lesbians; it’s very important for people coming out, knowing that they have this equality; and it sends a clear message to any homophobic refugees coming to Germany: We have equality here,” said Arnd Bächler, a counselor and addiction therapist at Berlin’s gay counseling center.

Approval of same-sex marriage in Germany could build momentum for similar legislation in other German-speaking countries, like Austria and Switzerland, said Katrin Hugendubel, advocacy director of ILGA-Europe, a gay and transgender rights group. She said the developments in Germany illustrated the difference that opposition parties could make.

The measure now goes to the upper house of Parliament, The Bundesrat, which has approved marriage equality before. The legislation will then be signed into law by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Polls show upwards of 80% of Germans support marriage equality.

Germany joins more than a dozen European countries that have approved same-sex marriage.

In 2001, Germany approved civil unions which conferred some but not all rights of marriage.

Conservatives in the country’s government have blocked the issue from coming to a vote in Parliament.

Congratulations Germany!

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Germany’s Chancellor Merkel Signals Possible “Conscience Vote” On Same-Sex Marriage

Chancellor Angela Merkel

Via The Guardian:

Angela Merkel has signalled a change in her party’s opposition to gay marriage after stating MPs should be allowed a free vote in the German parliament.

Speaking at an event organised by the magazine Brigitte, the German chancellor said she felt aggrieved that debate was mainly carried out along party lines and that she hoped it would be “headed towards a conscience vote”.

It is widely believed the Bundestag would legalise gay marriage in a free vote on the issue.

Germany is one of a few western countries where same-sex marriage is still not legal. Civil partnerships have been allowed since 2001, but Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has resisted calls to open up marriage to same-sex couples.

The centre-right CDU, which has been governing as senior partner in a coalition with the centre-left SPD since 2013, has said it prefers to amend legislation so couples in a civil partnership have the same tax status and adoption rights as married couples.

Coming less than three months before federal elections, Merkel’s comments could take the wind out of her critics’ sails and open her party up to the widest possible range of post-election coalitions.

UPDATE: Check out the tweet below from Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, the second largest party in parliament:

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Happy Marriage Equality Day! Support Reaches All-Time High Approval Of 62%

Hubby Michael and I getting married a second time in Palm Springs in 2008

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the historic Obergefell v. Hodges ruling from the Supreme Court which brought marriage equality to all fifty states. I think it was one of the happiest and joyful days of my life.

And, according to a new Pew Research poll, support for same-sex marriage among U.S. adults has reached an all-time high of 62%.

Pew has been tracking the opinions of Americans on marriage equality for two decades and found the biggest jump in support came during this past year with a 7-point uptick in support.

Terrific to see these numbers today, but there’s still work to do on LGBTQ rights.

We need to see The Equality Act passed into law. The legislation would ensure no one could lose their job, their home, or be denied services because of who they are or whom they love.

The bill has been introduced in Congress and enjoys bipartisan support, 242 members of Congress and more than 90 corporations now back the legislation. But sadly, it’s not enough. It’s highly doubtful the current Republican-controlled Congress will pass the bill.