Tag: Switzerland

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Switzerland Approves Same-Sex Marriage By Wide Margin

Today, we celebrate 20 years since the first same-sex weddings were legally officiated in the United States.

Lagging behind but they got there: Switzerland has voted to legalize same-sex marriage by a wide margin of 64.1% approving the measure. A majority in all of the nation’s cantons, or states, said ‘yes’ to marriage equality. Continue reading “Switzerland Approves Same-Sex Marriage By Wide Margin”

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Switzerland Will Hold National Vote On Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex wedding

Switzerland will hold a public referendum on whether to legalize same-sex marriage

I was surprised to learn today that Switzerland, of all countries, still has not legalized same-sex marriage.

One of the few European countries still lacking marriage equality, Switzerland will now ask its citizens to vote on the whether gays and lesbians can marry the person they love.

Switzerland’s journey to same-sex marriage has taken several twists and turns over the years.

Swiss lawmakers have been working on the issue since 2013 when the first bill was presented by the nation’s Green Party.

But the legislation stalled as lawmakers contemplated whether the move would require a change to Switzerland’s constitution.

In April 2020, the Council of States, the nation’s upper chamber, finally agreed a legal change was unnecessary.

On December 18, 2020, the National Council (Switzerland’s lower chamber) voted in favor of same-sex marriages by a vote of 24 to 11 with 7 abstentions. That bill also provides lesbian couples with access to sperm donation.

 

That vote triggered an uproar by two conservative groups – the Federal Democratic Union and the Swiss People’s Party – who quickly got to work collecting signatures for a petition calling for a referendum on the issue.

Reuters reports that Switzerland’s democratic system allows opponents of decisions by parliament the right to force a referendum, or a public vote, if a group can collect 50,000 signatures within 100 days.

On Tuesday, the Federal Chancellery confirmed that over 61,000 signatures had been collected.

In May, the government will announce a date for the vote which will probably happened this fall.

The good news is a survey commissioned by the LGBTQ advocacy group Pink Cross in 2020 showed 82% of Swiss citizens (in a country of 8.5 million) support same-sex marriage.

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News Round-Up: December 18, 2020

Bremen Menelli (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Men’s Variety: With gyms closing in parts of the country due to COVID-19, here are 10 tips on how to exercise outside this winter during the pandemic – although InstaHunk Bremen Menelli (above) seems to have it figured out 😉 • Gay Star News: After a seven-year campaign, Switzerland’s parliament has passed the final vote on same-sex marriage, making the central European country the 29th country in the world to approve marriage equality. • KIT212: Kenneth round’s up the what’s what in LGBTQ publications each week like this issue of Dallas Voice. • LGBTQ Nation: A 17-year-old transgender girl died by suicide earlier this week, just days after she was humiliated by a school administrator for wearing a skirt. • OMG Blog: The brainless bombshell known as the bimbo is one of our most familiar tropes, but recently, a new brand of halfwit hottie has been gaining recognition. Enter the himbo. Like their bimbo counterparts, the requirements for a himbo are simple: They’re hot, kind… and not too bright.

• The Advocate: A gay couple in Eureka, California, woke up to find their Christmas decorations had been ripped down, torn, and smeared with feces. The local police chief has announced that, if found, the perpetrator will be charged with a hate crime. • Metro Weekly: A federal judge has ordered the state of Wisconsin to provide a transgender inmate with gender confirmation surgery to treat her gender dysphoria. Although she was permitted to receive hormone treatments, counseling, and even allowed to wear some women’s clothing, she was denied gender confirmation surgery after requesting it in 2013. • NBC News: A Republican committee in Virginia unanimously passed a resolution censuring Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va., saying he betrayed the party’s values when he officiated a same-sex wedding in 2019.

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Podcast: Country Coming Out Song Goes Viral, UK, Bhutan, And Billy Porter

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • More LGBTQ candidates won elections this year than ever before • A US Supreme Court decision upholds high school transgender students’ rights • Switzerland is poised to (finally) legalize same-sex marriage • Adoptions by same-sex couples in the UK has increased for the 3rd year in a row • Isolated Asian country of Bhutan legalizes same-sex relations • Emmy/Grammy winner Billy Porter has been announced to help usher in the New Year • A coming out Christmas song by country artist and LGBTQ ally Aaron LaCombe goes viral ‘Uncle Carl (Came Out On Christmas)’ Click here to watch the video and head over to Aaron’s official website for more info about his music All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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News Round-Up: December 5, 2020

‘Dashing in December’ star Juan Pablo Di Pace (image via Facebook)
Some news items you might have missed: • ET Canada: Juan Pablo Di Pace (starring in the holiday rom-com Dashing in December) says all gay roles don’t need to be played by gay actors. “We do what we do because we love experiencing other people’s stories and lives and what would be of the Meryl Streep’s of the world if we all had to do the thing that we are. Actors like playing and playing is inhabiting another human being.” • Pink News: Switzerland has taken a major step on the path to equality after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a law to pass same-sex marriage. The council of states – the upper house of Switzerland’s legislature – voted by 22-15 to approve landmark legislation to make same-sex marriage a reality. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Make sure and check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Colombian actor/model Diego Arnary on the cover of DNA Magazine.
Columbian actor/model Diego Arnary covers DNA Magazine
• Instinct Magazine: A TikTok user, who was kicked out of his house when his father found out he was gay, discovered his dad secretly had sex with men for pay. • Gay Star News: Jamaica has been told it is breaching international law and human rights by continuing to persecute LGBT+ people. • The Advocate: Out singer/songwriter Trey Pearson, who rose to fame in the Christian rock band Everyday Sunday, released his latest single, “We Don’t Want Your War,” in order to remind the world that, even as the pandemic rages, social injustice continues to take root.

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Podcast: Pete Buttigieg’s Historic Night, Switzerland Approves LGBTQ Protections, VINCINT’s New Single ‘Save Myself’

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Mayor Pete Buttigieg had a historic night at the Iowa Caucuses • Voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly approved protections for LGBTQ people • Virginia becomes the first state in the South to approve statewide LGBTQ protections • A beloved morning talk show host in the UK came out as gay • A star of the Netflix docuseries ‘Cheer’ is getting ready to climb to the top of the human pyramid All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report Hit the play button below to listen, and if you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, please share this with your friends 🙂