Tag: equality

'The opposition doesn't give up, they just try to find a different way to influence society.' It has been two months since the historic court decision which paved the way for same-sex marriage in Taiwan. But the government has not yet acted to change the law. In May the Constitutional Court ruled Taiwan’s Constitution was discriminatory against same-sex couples. It currently reads that marriage is between a man and a woman. The court gave Taiwanese lawmakers two years to amend legislation, but...

What does Pride mean to you? It’s a question that’s asked on many occasions, and one that has no fixed answer. The meaning of Pride is different for every individual. To some, it’s the empowerment of love and solidary in embracing their every-being. For others, it’s the call to stand up and fight for their right to live and love as equal. As July 2017 marks the 50th anniversary since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Gay Times spoke...

Pride in London will take place in central London this Saturday – and it’s set to be one of the biggest ever. A million people are expected to line the streets for the event, with lots of different groups from across the LGBT spectrum taking part. This year’s march also has a very special significance. July marks 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised by in England and Wales, the first step in the long road to equality. The full festival for Pride in...

Now that's what we call a party. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid to march for LGBT+ equality this weekend as festivities for World Pride 2017 came to a head. Saturday’s march through the city centre was led by politicians from across Spain’s political spectrum, who carried a large banner which read: ‘For LGBTI Rights All Over the World.’ The huge display of LGBT+ solidarity was the highlight of the 10-day World Pride 2017 festival, which concluded...

Congratulations Germany! Germany has voted to legalize same-sex marriage. 393 politicians voted for marriage equality, while 266 voted against. Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against same-sex marriage. However, she freed her Christian Democrats from the party whip on the issue calling for a ‘vote of conscience’. The reform gives same-sex couples full marital rights, and allows them to adopt children. The German legal code will now read: ‘Marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex’. ‘We are feeling really emotional,’...

Istanbul Pride could be cancelled due to the threats A Nazi youth group wants to block Istanbul Pride as ‘gay people want to stop straights from having sex’. The Alperen Hearths, linked to the right-wing nationalist Great Union Party (BBP), has vowed the march on 25 June will not take place. Istanbul Pride is scheduled to start from Taksim Square. ‘If the state allows it, we will not. We will not allow them to walk,’ Kürşat Mican, the group’s head in Istanbul, said...

“It’s just a phase.” The number of times that young – and not so young – LGBT people have heard that comment, and felt invalidated, like the identity that they had discovered and nurtured wasn’t worth a damn. At best, you can dismiss the comment in the same way the other person dismissed your true self, but at worst, it is utterly destructive. And the most difficult aspect of being on the receiving end of a throwaway comment like this is that...

A new Gallup poll has found that a record number of Americans support marriage equality! The survey found that 64% of American adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal. This is the highest percentage to date and continues the generally steady rise since Gallup's trend began in 1996. The survey also found that Republican support for same-sex marriage has also reached a record high. https://www.instagram.com/p/BUGcWpWjTuX/ In recent decades, many GOP leaders adamantly opposed gay marriage, but rank-and-file Republicans' support has nearly tripled since 1996....

In May 2014 the bakery agreed to pay damages of £500, as they had breached equality legislation and directly discriminated against a customer. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom will hear a case involving Christian bakery owners who refused to bake a cake with a pro same-sex marriage slogan on it. The Christian-run family bakery Ashers in Belfast was found guilty of discrimination in 2014 after the owners refused service to a customer, marriage equality campaigner Gareth Lee, who asked...

Stonewall has auctioned off a holiday to a country where gay sex is illegal. People who engage in gay sex can also be imprisoned for up to 10 years in the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office official guidance warns tourists about the country’s anti-gay laws. The US State Department warns: “Consensual same-sex sexual activity is illegal under indecency statues, and some same-sex sexual activity between men is also illegal under anal intercourse laws. Indecency statutes...

"They are all equal and all of us are one big family." The Israeli Air Force celebrated the country’s Family Day on Sunday by posting photos of air force families to its Instagram page, and that included a married gay couple. Captain Adir Gabbai was featured with his husband, Dean, alongside other career members of the air force with the title “Living here happily.” https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ-aJ-ejJgt/ “For them, the air force family will always be ’the place where I met my family,'” read a...

In celebration of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, event organizers have shared a sweet, simple, funny video to celebrate the theme of “Creating Equality.” "A simple difference shouldn't be a big deal." Watch: Source

Seems like they didn't see that one coming The Finnish government has stopped an initiative seeking to block marriage equality at the last minute. On 1 March, Finland will become the last Scandinavian country to open marriage to same-sex couples. Parliament had originally voted on marriage equality in November 2014. It was a close vote, with 105 to 92 votes in support of same-sex marriage. But an anti-gay petition led to a ballot measure, which forced Parliament into debating – and voting on – the...

'It is a shining beacon that brightly highlights the fact that the LGBT community don't have to hide away' The city of Leeds in the UK constructs a rainbow bridge for equality. Leeds local, Thomas Wales, wanted to highlight the changing, progressive landscape of the city. Wales told Gay Star News: ‘For me, it is a shining beacon that brightly highlights the fact that the LGBT community don’t have to hide away. ‘We’re part of the fabric of the city. ‘I hope that anyone...