Mike Fédée has a message to French people afraid of same-sex marriage in the form of his poem, “Fear Not”
(Make sure to hit the “CC” in the control bar to turn on captions)
Brazil: Rio De Janeiro becomes 10th state in nation to legalize marriage equality
The Brazilian state of Rio De Janeiro has become the tenth in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
The other Brazilian states to allow it are São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Alagoas, Sergipe, Piauí, Ceará. The Federal District allows it as well.
Marriages conducted in any of these ten states are recognized nationwide.
Minnesota: Hundreds show up at state capitol to show support for marriage equality
Look at all the pretty people who braved the rain to show up and show support for marriage equality in Minnesota!
It’s been a really great day of news regarding the enormous amount of support the LGBT community sees in our allies.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
(via JMG)
California: Rep. Jim Costa supports marriage equality
Representative Jim Costa (D-CA), who was one of seven House Democrats who have not taken a position on same-sex marriage, has stated he is in support of it in a message quietly posted on the HRC website:
“In the San Joaquin Valley, family always comes first but what that family looks like is not always the same. While I respect the opinion of those who might disagree, I support marriage for all couples who wish to make this life-long commitment.”
The six House Democrats who have note yet taken a position are Cedric Richmond (LA), Kurt Schrader (OR), David Scott (GA), Terry Sewell (AL), Bennie Thompson (MS), and freshman Filemon Vela (TX).
(via Towleroad)
New Zealand: Best, best, best speech in parliament in support of marriage equality
New Zealand member of parliament, Maurice Williamson delivers what may be the best (and funniest) speech on behalf of marriage equality ever.
Mr. Williamson has his colleagues in stitches with his reactions to opposition to marriage equality.
‘Gay rainbow across my electorate’ is sure to be on the short list of new catch phrases of 2013.
Thank you Mr. Williamson!
Paraguay: Presidential candidate would rather shoot himself in the nuts than have a gay son
The nation of Paraguay is holding presidential elections on Sunday and its frontrunner, Horacio Cartes, was asked to react to Uruguay’s recent passage of marriage equality.
From the NY Times:
In a radio interview this month, Mr. Cartes, 57, theatrically threatened to inflict harm on his own private parts if his 28-year-old son were to seek to marry another man.
“I would shoot myself in the testicles, because I do not agree,” he said, using slightly more colorful language to describe how he would react to such a possibility.
Cartes also “set off a fierce controversy…after publicly comparing gay people to ‘monkeys’ and likening the support of same-sex marriage to believing in ‘the end of the world.'”
Cartes’ opponent is also opposed to same-sex marriage, but, the paper reports, has adopted a “more nuanced stance.”
(via Towleroad)
Australia: Prime Minister Gillard won’t change marriage equality stance after New Zealand
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard couldn’t care less that New Zealand passed marriage equality.
Columbian Senate to vote on marriage equality today
The Colombian Senate will vote on same-sex marriage today.
The Colombian Consitutional Court issued a ruling in 2011 (Sentencia C577/11) that requires the Congress to act by June 20, 2013, or else same-sex couples can present themselves to legal notaries to contract for their legal rights.
The Court ruled that same-sex couples have equal legal rights to found a family, but there is a “deficit of legal protection” for such couples under current law, and ordered the Congress to eliminate that deficit by June 20, 2013.
The Court previously ruled that the right given to heterosexual couples to a legally recognized non-marital union must be accorded to same-sex couples.
New Zealand passes marriage equality!
New Zealand has legalized same-sex marriage in a 77-44 vote on a third and final reading of the bill, the New Zealand Herald reports:
The bill will take effect in mid August and comes 27 years after New Zealand decriminalised homosexuality.
Same-sex marriage supporters at the Campaign for Marriage Equality party in Wellington cheered loudly and applauded as the bill was passed into law.
More than a hundred supporters gathered at the San Francisco Bath House bar on Wellington’s Cuba St to watch the vote. They will be joined later tonight by the bill’s sponsor, Labour MP Louisa Wall, who is expected to be welcomed with a haka before addressing supporters.
There was a din of anticipation in the moments before the vote was announced, followed by a hush as the vote was read.
The bar then erupted into cheers and applause. Supporters embraced and joined in a waiata following the vote.
Watch as the vote is announced and hundreds of spectators in the gallery of New Zealand’s parliament break into a rendition of the love song “Pokarekare Ana” in the indigenous Maori language. How fabulous for New Zealand.
New Zealand joins Uruguay, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, and Denmark as the 13th nation to offer its citizens nationwide marriage equality.
Brazil, Mexico, and of course, the U.S. offer it in parts of the country.
Who’s next?
Forward!
New Jersey: 62% support marriage equality
New Rutgers-Eagleton poll came out yesterday:
A proposal to place the question of same-sex marriage on the fall ballot also gets broad support; voters want a chance to decide by a 68 percent to 25 percent margin.
Given a chance, New Jersey seems likely to become the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage: 62 percent would vote yes on the question, 30 percent would vote no, while 8 percent are unsure. This represents the highest level of support for gay marriage ever recorded in a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.