Tag: same-sex marriage

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Cuban Government Removes Marriage Equality Language From New Constitution

The government of Cuba announced Tuesday that the proposed constitutional Article 68, that would open the door for same-sex marriage in the island nation, has been removed from the draft of a new constitution

The government of Cuba announced Tuesday that the proposed constitutional Article 68, which would open the door for same-sex marriage in the island nation, has been removed from the draft of a new constitution

Cuba’s National Assembly announced the news in a series of tweets:

According to Emmy Award winning South Florida journalist Hatzel Vela, translated from Spanish the tweet read, “The [Constitutional] Commission proposes to defer the concept of marriage, meaning it will be taken out of the constitutional project, as a way to respect all opinions. Marriage is a social and jurisdictional institution. The law will define the rest of its elements.”

Another tweet said, “The Family Code should establish who can engage in marriage.” The Family code is scheduled to be updated shortly after the confirmation of the new constitution.

The first draft of the new constitution was made public in July.

For months now, LGBTQ activists had worked towards eliminating the description of marriage as a union of a man and woman. Instead, the language would have been changed to the union of “two people with absolutely equal rights and obligations.”

But, as the public debate continued, evangelical church leaders led protests at meetings on the new constitution. Cuba’s Catholic Church, Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, the Evangelical League and Methodist Church all vigorously oppose the idea of marriage equality.

Vela pointed to another National Assembly tweet that said, “Article 68 was the one most discussed by the people in the popular consultation, in 66 percent of the meetings (of citizen debate).”

The final version of the new constitution is scheduled to be voted on by the National Assembly later this week in advance of a public referendum on February 24.

Former President Raul Castro’s daughter, Mariela Castro Espin, who has led to charge to legalize same-sex marriage, took to Facebook to say “there is no setback” and that the tweet from the National Assembly wasn’t accurate.

“There is no setback, the essence of Article 68 is maintained, the struggle continues, now let’s give the YES to the Constitution and then close ranks to achieve a Family Code as advanced as the new constitutional text,” she wrote according to Gay Star News. “Cuba is ours, Cuba belongs to everyone.”

However, The Washington Blade reports that several of the Cuban journalists and LGBT activists they communicate with on regular basis say “they face harassment and even arrest if they publicly criticize Mariela Castro and/or the Cuban government.”

Cuba bears a long, hideous history regarding the treatment of LGBTs.

In 1959, after the rise of Fidel Castro, 25,000 gay men were rounded up and sent to labor camps.

And during the height of the AIDS pandemic, those with HIV were quarantined in government-run sanitariums. That practice ended in 1993.

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Judicial Secretary-General Confirms Marriage Equality Will Come To Taiwan By May 2019

Citizens in Taiwan celebrate 2017 ruling by Constitutional Court on marriage equality
(image via Instagram)

As I reported on November 24, Taiwan citizens overwhelmingly voted ‘no’ via public referendum to amend the country’s Civil Code to allow same-sex marriage.

The anti-LGBTQ forces have since informed their supporters that the results of the referendum put a stop to the possibility of marriage equality in Taiwan. In fact, some international news outlets have repeated those claims.

Wrong.

As Taiwan News reports, the country’s Judicial Secretary-General, Lu Tai-lang, addressed the Judiciary and Organic Laws committee of the Legislative Yuan today clarifying that public referendums do not override the Constitutional Court’s 2017 ruling on same-sex marriage.

On May 24, 2017, Taiwan’s highest court ruled that provisions that “do not allow two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the purpose of living a common life” violate people’s right to equality and freedom of marriage under articles 7 and 22 of constitutional law.

The court gave Taiwan’s lawmakers two years to decide not if but how to implement legal same-sex marriage.

Per the Constitutional Court’s ruling, should Taiwan’s Parliament fail to arrive at a legislative solution by May 24, 2019, same-sex marriage will automatically become the law of the land.

Taiwan’s lawmakers have been locked in a stalemate on what approach to take in legalizing same-sex marriage – should it be realized through changes to the Civil Code, or via brand new legislation?

Conservative lawmakers don’t approve of writing marriage equality into their Civil Code. But LGBTQ advocates say a separate marriage law, similar to the UK’s Civil Partnership Act, would fail to provide true equal rights.

Taiwan, perhaps the most liberal country in the Asian region in terms of LGBTQ visibility, recently hosted over 130,000 participants in their Pride Parade.

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Taiwan Votes ‘No’ On Amending Constitution To Allow Same-Sex Marriage

Taiwan Pride 2018 (image via Instagram)

Results from the LGBTQ referendums held on Nov. 24 in Taiwan are in, and by a disappointing lop-sided vote, the Civil Code will remain unchanged in terms of same-sex marriage, reports The Taipei News.

As a result, the legal recognition of same-sex committed relationships will have to take place through the passing of new legislation.

On Case 10, the people of Taiwan voted to maintain the definition of marriage in the Civil Code to be between a man and a woman by a lop-sided vote of 7,260,573 to 2,736,508.

Case 11, which asked whether the Ministry of Education should repeal LGBT inclusive portions of the Enforcement Rules for Gender Equality Education Act in elementary and middle schools, also saw a defeat for the LGBTQ community as the ‘yes’ votes totaled 6,709,178 to 3,227,902.

Case 12 asked if there should be a separate, unequal status for same-sex couples. Taiwanese voters were clear voting 6,056,036 in the affirmative to 3,854,161 dissenting votes.

Case 14 asked if voters wanted to change the Civil Code to offer same-sex marriage. Voters said no.

Case 15 asked if schools should teach all students about ‘gender equality, emotional education, sex education and same-sex education’. Voters said no.

Taiwan’s high court ruled in May 2017 that it was unconstitutional for same-sex couples to be banned from marriage, and gave the government two years to find a legislative solution. Due to disagreements within Taiwan’s parliament, legislation to legalize same-sex marriage stalled.

Taiwan’s parliament has remained deadlocked on a solution as the main point of contention is whether same-sex marriage should be legalized through changes to the Civil Code, or via entirely new legislation. The more conservative factions of Taiwan don’t favor amending the Civil Code.

Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom To Marry, which led to fight for marriage equality in the U.S. issued this statement:

“Tonight, we send our support to advocates and families in Taiwan who are hurting after a disappointing election result.

“Over the last year, anti-LGBT organizations—bankrolled and instigated by US-based groups like the National Organization for Marriage—spent millions on scare tactics and deceit, in an effort to spread lies about gay and lesbian people and harm families.

“While the results of the referenda are not what we hoped for, it is clear that the movement for marriage in Taiwan will not be deterred.

“Nothing about tonight’s votes undermines the landmark court ruling affirming that the freedom to marry is a right guaranteed by Taiwan’s Constitution. And nothing changes the clear mandate from the Court: That by May 2019, lawmakers must update the civil code to allow same-sex couples to marry.”

Last month, over 130,000 participants took part in Taiwan’s Pride Parade, the largest LGBTQ celebration in Asia.

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Gay Widower Being Denied Survivor Benefits By Social Security Administration

Michael Ely and James Taylor (image via Metro Weekly)

James Taylor and Michael Ely of Arizona were together as a loving couple for 43 years having met in 1971 when Taylor was 20-years-old and Ely was 18-years-old.

In 1994, they moved to Tucson, Arizona. Taylor was the primary wage earner, while Ely managed their household.

In 2007, the couple celebrated their relationship with a commitment ceremony.

And they married as soon as they could when a court struck down Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage in 2014.

Sadly, six months later, Taylor passed away of cancer.

But when Ely filed for Taylor’s Social Security benefits (which Taylor paid into his whole life), he was denied.

It turns out the Social Security Administration requires couples to be married for a minimum of 9 months before a survivor can access benefits.

It’s worth noting that the couple would have married sooner but were barred from doing because of Arizona’s marriage ban.

It would seem logical that a well-documented relationship of 43 years would somehow be able to overcome this legal snafu.

“Even though we’d been together for 43 years, I’m barred from receiving the same benefits as other widowers,” says Ely. “Even though my husband had worked hard for 40-plus years and paid into the social security system with every paycheck.”

Lambda Legal has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Social Security Administration saying the nine-month marriage requirement for social security survivor’s benefits is unconstitutional where same-sex couples were not able to be married for nine months because of discriminatory marriage laws.

“The federal government is requiring surviving same-sex spouses like Michael to pass an impossible test to access benefits earned through a lifetime of work,” said Peter Renn of Lambda Legal. “Michael and his husband got married as soon as they could, less than three weeks after Arizona ended its exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, but they were only able to be married for six months before Michael’s husband died of cancer.”

“Now, the Social Security Administration is allowing the heartbreak of discriminatory marriage bans to persist by holding same-sex couples to a standard that many could not meet, insisting that they have been married for nine months even where it was legally impossible for them to do so.”

“These benefits are as essential to the financial security of surviving same-sex spouses in their retirement years as they are to heterosexual surviving spouses,” says Renn. “But the government is holding their benefits hostage and imposing impossible-to-satisfy terms for their release.”

Lambda Legal filed a similar lawsuit in September against the Social Security Administration on behalf of a 63-year-old lesbian in Washington state who was unable to marry her partner of 27 years due to the ban on same-sex marriage in that state.

(h/t Lambda Legal)

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Wedding Dance Goes Viral As Grooms Have “The Time Of Their Lives”

Noah and PJ

At their wedding in upstate New York this month, Noah and PJ decided their ‘first dance’ was going to be something special.

And thanks to the mashup of totally gay dance music and a wide-ranging choreography covering just about every dance style, it looks like they accomplished their goal.

It all begins oh-so-innocently with the boys slow-dancing to the romantical “It’s a Quiet Thing.”

But then, the music cuts out.

Cue the Miami Sound Machines’ “Conga,” and the boys are off!

Soon they segue into some “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” before slipping in some “Vogue” by Madonna.

You can’t have a wedding dance without classic disco so next up is KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight,” followed by some tap dancing “Puttin on the Ritz” via Young Frankenstein.

But you need a big finish, and the boys bring it with “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing complete with high-flying lifts.

And the crowd goes wild!

In posting the video, PJ and Noah share, “We seriously did have ‘the time of our lives.’ An incredible night surrounded by incredible people!”

We can all use some uplifting moments these days, and this certainly fill the bill.

Check out Noah and PJ’s ‘first dance’ below.

And congratulations, boys!

(h/t Pink News)

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News Round-Up: October 30, 2018

This guy definitely gets my Halloween treats 😉

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Thiago Oliveira offers a sneak peek at his Halloween costume. I think it’s a dragon, but who really cares – I’d give him all my Halloween candy if he showed up at my door looking like that.

• A new survey by Bespoke shows millennials are coming out an average of 4-5 years earlier than Gen Xers or Baby Boomers.

• Speaking of Halloween, this dad was surprised people had a negative reaction to his and his son’s Halloween costumes. Imagine that. Hmmm…

• The lower House of Czech Republic’s Parliament is considering legislation that would make the country the first former Eastern Bloc nation to embrace marriage equality. A recent poll shows 67% support for same-sex marriage in the Czech Republic.

• The daughter of a Missouri Republican running for Congress is begging voters to reject her own racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic father.

• Thanks to Larry at TheOUTfront for pointing up “Enough” – a new music video featuring Australian pop star Sia’s song “I’m Still Here” along with 130 students of the National Dance Institute.

From the video description: It’s unacceptable that firearms are the second leading cause of death for American children and teens.

If you’re a student, get involved in the movement to end gun violence by texting STUDENTS to 644-33. Watch “Enough” below.

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Podcast: 20th Anniversary Of Matthew Shepard, Taylor Swift, Facebook & Broadway’s ‘Once On This Island’

The Randy Report podcast is your source for LGBT political, pop culture and entertainment news via podcast

In this week’s podcast:

• The nation observed the 20th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard

• Anti-LGBTQ forces in Romania faced an epic fail in trying to outlaw marriage equality

• New Jersey moves to protect transgender students

• The Trump administration requires foreign diplomatic employees’ partners to be married in order to be in the US or face deportment

• Taylor Swift goes political speaking out for LGBTQ rights and Democratic candidates

• Facebook added coming out as a new “Life Event” option as the US observed National Coming Out Day

• New polling shows 70% of Americans support protecting LGBTQ folks from discrimination

• Plus my review of the fantastic Broadway revival of ‘Once On This Island’

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report. Hit the play button below.

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Romania: Epic Fail For Haters As Anti-Marriage Equality Referendum Fails To Garner Enough Votes

Anti-LGBT forces sought to write a permanent same-sex marriage ban into the country's constitution, but failed on an epic level when only 20% of registered voters turned out.

Anti-LGBT forces sought to write a permanent same-sex marriage ban into the country’s constitution, but failed on an epic level when only 20% of registered voters turned out.

The referendum needed at least 30% participation in order to be considered valid.

Opponents had encouraged voters to boycott the referendum.

Even though the Romanian Orthodox Church supported the constitutional revision, the church failed to mobilize its followers.

The Romanian Constitutional Court ruled last month that gay couples should have the same rights as all families.

In June 2018, the European Union’s high court ruled that member nations must grant residency rights to LGBT couples legally married in other EU countries after a Romanian national sued to bring his American husband to Romania.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in 14 of the 28 EU member nations.

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Trump Administration Will No Longer Issue Visas To Same-Sex Partners Of Diplomats

United Nations Plaza (image via Flickr/AC Moraes)

 In reversing a nine-year policy begun by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Trump administration continues to demonstrate hostility to same-sex couples.

Beginning Monday (October 1), the U.S. State Department will require same-sex partners of staff of international organizations based in the U.S. to be married in order to qualify for a proper visa.

The policy change will affect foreign employees of organizations like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

From the State Department’s website on G-4 visas: “Effective immediately, U.S. Embassies and Consulates will adjudicate visa applications that are based on a same-sex marriage in the same way that we adjudicate applications for opposite gender spouses.”

The State Department issued a statement saying the policy change is meant to “help ensure and promote equal treatment” between straight and gay couples. In order to obtain a G-4 visa, straight couples are required to be married.

The difference for same-sex couples, however, is that in many of their native countries same-sex marriage, or even homosexuality, is illegal.

And, as Fabrice Houdart, a human rights official at the United Nations told NBC News, “The policy seems to presume that same-sex partners should be able to easily visit the United States on a tourist visa where they could get married.

“But for people in many countries, particularly poor and conservative countries like the ones that do not permit same-sex marriage, obtaining a tourist visa to visit the United States is extremely difficult,” he added.

Under the new policy, the partners of United Nations workers, for example, that are not legally married will have 30 days after the new year to either get married or exit the United States.

So, what do these couples do? The choices available to them are abandon their careers here in the U.S. or try to marry and face possible severe penalties back home.

Of the 193 United Nations member states, only a few dozen have recognized same-sex marriage. And then there are countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran which have death penalties for being gay.

Former Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, called the move “needlessly cruel & bigoted” on Twitter.

And the Human Rights Campaign followed up Powers’ tweet saying the policy change “reflects the hostility of the Trump-Pence administration toward LGBTQ people and our friends and allies.”

“It is hatred, and it is unacceptable,” the HRC added.

(h/t NBC News)

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President Of Cuba Announces Support For Marriage Equality

The president of Cuba has announced his support for same-sex marriage in regard to the upcoming referendum on a new constitution which would include new language allowing marriage equality

American LGBTs saw the power of the presidency in action when President Obama announced his ‘evolution’ and support for marriage equality in May 2012.

His statement made an enormous impact on the fight for marriage equality. And three years later, same-sex marriage came to all of the United States.

Now, Cuba is preparing for a nationwide referendum on changing the language in its constitution from defining marriage as a “voluntary union of a man and a woman,” to recognizing marriage as “between two people.”

And the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has publicly announced his support.

According to the BBC, Díaz-Canel said in an interview with Telesur he favors recognizing “marriage between people without any restrictions.”

He added that embracing marriage equality is “part of eliminating any type of discrimination in society.”

The Cuban president acknowledges that Cuba has “been going through a massive thought evolution and many taboos have been broken.”

Much of the credit for Cuba’s ‘evolution’ on marriage is due, in great part, to the efforts of Mariela Castro, daughter of former President Raúl Castro.

Ms. Castro, who leads the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education, has spent years speaking out on behalf of LGBTQ rights. And those efforts are clearly paying off today.

Cuba bears a long, hideous history regarding the treatment of LGBTs.

In 1959, after the rise of Fidel Castro, 25,000 gay men were rounded up and sent to labor camps.

And during the height of the AIDS pandemic, those with HIV were quarantined in government-run sanitariums. That practice ended in 1993.

But even with the country’s “thought evolution,” it comes as no surprise that there are still hills to climb before the vote in the form of Cuba’s religious leaders.

Cuba’s Catholic Church, Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, the Evangelical League and Methodist Church all vigorously oppose the idea of marriage equality.