Tag: marriage equality

A half-dozen LGBT Cubans arrived in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Saturday, seeking asylum. Mariela Castro has long been the face of Cuba’s LGBT movement, which is a little unusual given she’s a heterosexual cisgender woman and daughter of president Raul Castro. A member of the Cuban Parliament and director of the government-sanctioned Cuban National Center for Sex Education, she’s marched at the front of Havana’s Pride parade and has spoken out in support of marriage equality, though she’s claimed it’s not the...

Less than half of Americans say they're comfortable with LGBT people Despite increased visibility and awareness, acceptance of LGBT people in America actually decreased in 2017. GLAAD and The Harris Poll’s fourth-annual Accelerating Acceptance report found that less than half (49%) of respondents said they were “somewhat” or “very” comfortable with queer people in different social situations, down from 53% in 2016. It’s the first decline since the report was launched in 2014, and is in contrast to studies that have shown...

It may technically be Australia Day today, but more people turned up to support Indigenous people atrallys across the country January 26 is officially Australia Day, the national holiday where everyone gets a day off to celebrate being Australian. The date was chosen because it was the date that British explorers landed in Botany Bay and began the colonization of the continent. But for Indigenous people in Australia it is not a day of celebration, but rather the day that marks the...

The 9/11 terrorist attacks came in a close second as the historical event that had the most impact on Australia Even though same-sex couples have only had the right to legally wed for a few weeks, Australians think achieving marriage equality was the most significant in the country’s history. The Australian Parliament passed marriage equality into law in December last year after 13 years of campaigning by marriage equality advocates. The parliament changed the Marriage Act after a national postal survey...

Government said they will comply with a ruling which said they needed to treat same-sex couples 'without discrimination' The Costa Rican government have said yes to marriage equality! The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) said the countries it oversees should treat same-sex couples ‘without discrimination.’ The panel of seven judges issued a statement that said governments ‘must recognize and guarantee all the rights that are derived from a family bond between people of the same sex.’ Judges said it was necessary to...

"Love is love!" Sydney welcomed the arrival of equal marriage Down Under on January 9 with a public “Love Is Love” celebration at the city’s annual festival. The date marked the first day same-sex couples could legally wed in Australia following Parliament’s passage of marriage equality in December. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdue_IYBb6O/ In addition to a full schedule of Sydney Festival performers, guests were treated to a five-tier rainbow wedding cake and “Equality Time” gelato. https://twitter.com/sydney_festival/status/950644184376995840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newnownext.com%2Fsydney-festival-wedding-reception%2F01%2F2018%2F Though no actual weddings were performed at the Love Is Love reception,...

“It is the most important day of our lives," says Stephen Henderson. After Bermuda passed marriage equality in spring 2017, cruise ship with holdings in the country began to offer same-sex wedding packages at sea. But when Parliament repealed same-sex marriage barely six months later, it left gay couples high and dry. Stephen Henderson and Stuart Andrews booked passage with P&O Cruises last summer so they could have their July 22, 2019 wedding on a boat in the Bay of Biscay....

Hey, Hugh Jackman! The future looks bright! Sydney, one of the world’s first major cities to welcome the new year, did so with an epic New Year’s Eve fireworks display at Sydney Harbour Bridge. https://twitter.com/sydneymardigras/status/947455102134108160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newnownext.com%2Fsydney-new-years-2018-rainbow-fireworks-marriage-equality%2F12%2F2017%2F Attended by an estimated 1.5 million people, the show featured a section with rainbow-colored fireworks and matching waterfall effect in honor of Australian parliament passing marriage equality earlier this month. Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore announced plans for the prideful display earlier this month on Twitter. https://twitter.com/CloverMoore/status/937835029933146112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newnownext.com%2Fsydney-new-years-2018-rainbow-fireworks-marriage-equality%2F12%2F2017%2F “This New Year’s...

This dairy farmer had an emotional response to the announcement of marriage equality in Australia. As Jason Smith milked his cow, he listened live to the marriage equality bill passing in Parliament on his headphones. He was so overwhelmed with emotion about the results that he said he “couldn’t stop crying”. Speaking to The Standard, a local newspaper in south-west Australia, he said: “I just got this feeling of being equal and being okay and having the rest of the country accept...

A Canberra couple who vowed to divorce if same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia have backed down on their promise. In 2015 Nick and Sarah Jensen said they would not want to be associated with any new definition of marriage if the law changed. “My wife and I just celebrated our 10-year anniversary. But later this year, we may be getting a divorce,” Mr Jensen wrote for Canberra’s City News. “The decision to divorce is not one we’ve taken lightly. And certainly,...

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...

But will Chile's presidential elections disrupt the fight for marriage equality? Chile will finally begin the important steps of debating marriage equality on Monday (27 November). President Michelle Bachelet introduced the bill on 28 August, intending to modify the language to open up marriage to same-sex couples. The Senate Constitution Committee has requested several organizations, from LGBTI groups to religious leaders, to come forward and make their case for against the change in the law. It still remains unclear whether the bill will...

It's been an incredible week for the LGBTQ community and its supporters in Australia and all over the world. The country overwhelmingly voted yes for marriage equality with 61 percent of the votes after an eight week postal survey. It is now up to the parliament to debate how to turn the people's choice into law, but the simple fact that the majority of Aussies want gay marriage legalized and for them to become the 25th country in the...

We love this! Shortly after Australia voted "yes" to marriage equality, a Melbourne-based man named Mark Keevers showed up to cheer on his boyfriend Andrew at his water polo match. But little did Andrew know what surprises were in store! When the game ended, Mark approached Andrew wrapped in a rainbow towel. And as the couple drew close, one of their favorite songs, Jess Glynn’s "Hold My Hand" started to play. It was then revealed that Mark had arranged for Andrew's Melbourne Surge...