Tag: law

A murderer on death row has asked for mercy, blaming his crime on “homosexual panic.” Robert Van Hook, 56, has been sentenced to die for murdering David Self in 1985. He met Self at the Subway Bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, before the two went together to Self’s flat. It was here that Van Hook strangled Self until he was unconsciousness before stabbing him multiple times in the neck. The murderer proceeded to cut open his abdomen before stabbing his internal organs, court records...

"The rules that regulate marriage in Costa Rica ... remain in force." Despite the approval of the president and a top human rights court, the first same-sex marriage in Costa Rica hit a stumbling block this week when notaries refused to recognize it until the country’s laws were officially changed. After the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of equal marriage earlier this month, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis directed government agencies to follow its ruling and recognize...

The new proclamation is full of anti-LGBT dog-whistles. In a proclamation released this morning, Donald Trump declared January 16, 2018 "Religious Freedom Day" to commemorate the 232nd anniversary of the Virginia General Assembly passing the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the first statute of its kind. However, the seemingly innocuous proclamation, which claims to celebrate "Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds" contains references to politicized policies that appeal to Trump's evangelical base. "Unfortunately, not all have recognized the importance of religious...

Neville Wills, 98, and his partner Ian Fenwicke sat together as they watched New South Wales decriminalise homosexuality in 1984. But the Sydney couple, who have been together for 39 years, never imagined they would one day be planning their wedding. 'I'm glad I've lived this long to see it,' Mr Wills told The Sydney Morning Herald after marriage equality laws were signed off on Thursday. Mr Wills, a university professor, and Mr Fenwicke, 74, first met at a luncheon in the...

One of the country's leading lawmakers said they were working hard to make the marriage equality legislation a reality Taiwan’s Premier said he was hopeful recognize same-sex marriage would be legal by the end of 2017. In May, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled that its Constitution discriminated against same-sex couples where it reads marriage should only be between a man and a woman. It gave the Legislative Yuan two years to make the necessary changes to the law to recognize marriage equality. But...

Following reports of Egypt's LGBT "crackdown," a MP has allegedly drafted a new homophobic law to criminalize homosexuality. Earlier this month, Egyptian men were reportedly arrested for “promoting sexual deviancy” and “debauchery,” subjected to forced anal examinations, according to Amnesty International. At least 11 men were arrested, and according to reports, more were being "hunted." Continuing the homophobic trend, a new law drafted by an Egyptian MP would criminalize gay sex. Additionally, heterosexual "supporters" and/or "promoters" of homosexuality would also face jail...

A new law in Haiti would ban gay marriage, along with showing any public support for LGBTQ rights. Charlot Jeudy, of the gay rights organization Kouraj, is leading the charge to stop the proposed new law. It passed last week in the senate and would fine either party not in a marriage between a man and a woman, $8,000 and up to 3 years in prison. The bill would also outlaw any public support for LGBTQ rights. At the moment,...

Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed into law a bill revising Nevada‘s domestic-relations statutes to reflect the U.S. Supreme Court‘s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill signed Friday by Sandoval authorizes the marriage of two people, regardless of gender. The bill also revises Nevada state laws to give same-sex couples the same parental rights as couples consisting of a man and a woman. Source

He personally delivered his party's action against the German government to the Federal Constitutional Court An out gay politician has sued Germany over its failings to establish marriage equality. Volker Beck has been representing the Green Party in the German Bundestag since 1994. He has been campaigning for same-sex marriage since 1992 and is sometimes referred to as the father of Germany’s civil partnership law. And he is really fed up with the government’s refusal to vote on marriage equality, although they debated...

Same-sex weddings have finally begun in Finland – the last Nordic country to approve equal marriage. Finns have had a long wait for marriage equality, with weddings coming several years after the Finnish Parliament first passed a citizens’ initiative on same-sex marriage way back in 2014. The two-and-a-half year delay was down to complexities in the process required for the legislation to become law, while opponents of equality also staged a plot to derail the plans at the eleventh hour last...

People could face a massive fine or up to 60 days in jail if they break the law designed to protect LGBTI people Two huge regions in the Philippines’ have passed new laws which will protect people against discrimination. Baguio City located in the populous Luzon region passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination and fostering equal protection of the law regardless of sexuality and gender identity, religion, ethnicity and disability and age. Punishments for violating the law include a fine between P1,000 to...

Same-sex couples could begin to marry in Guernsey as soon as the summer, it has been announced. The Employment and Social Security Committee Vice President Shane Langlois said the UK Privy Council announced that Royal Assent has been given to the law first introduced back in 2015. The measure will now go to the States for final approval before it will come into effect. Despite Langlois saying that it is expected it will do so in the summer, he said before a...

President-elect Trump says he’s “fine” with the marriage equality verdict handed down by the Supreme Court, however, other rights such as a women’s right to choose appear in jeopardy. During a wide ranging interview with CBS’ 60 minutes, the future leader of one of the most influential countries in the world, Donald Trump said he was ‘fine’ with same-sex marriage. “It’s law,” he told CBS’ Leslie Stahl, “It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done.” Trump’s stance on same-sex...

Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France's next presidential election. The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000. They were also protesting Sunday against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help same-sex couples have babies. Assisted reproduction is allowed in France only for infertile heterosexual...