Tag: marriage equality

John Challis and Arthur Cheeseman have been together since 1967. John Challis and Arthur Cheeseman have been together since 1967 and now they are finally planning their wedding. After Australians voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in a national postal survey, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told same-sex couples that they can start their wedding preparations as he hopes to pass a marriage equality bill by the end of the year. Challis, 89, and Cheeseman, 85, told The Telegraph that the historic...

A massive congratulations are in order for James Brechney and Stuart Henshell who just got engaged in Australia as the result of the Marriage Equality plebiscite was announced. It was James who got down on one knee in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park on Wednesday morning, and the moment was captured by ABC News for the whole country to see. “I love you with all my heart and I want to tell you something in front of the cameras,” James said, before...

After an eight-week postal survey polling Australian residents on whether or not same-sex marriage should be lawful throughout Australia, the results are in! At 10 a.m. on November 15th, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced that the final vote is a YES! The Aussies have spoken and the results are: 7,817,247 – YES 61.6% 4,873,987 – NO 38.4% 12,727,920 total voters 79.5% total electorate Here is footage of the gathering in Sydney for the announcement (video from DNA Magazine's Facebook Page). Skip ahead...

Andrzej Gruszczynski and Wiktor Twarkowski wed in Manhattan in 2013. A gay couple married in New York had to turn to the courts for a divorce after City Hall refused to end their marriage. Polish couple Andrzej Gruszczynski and Wiktor Jerzy Twarkowskix tied the knot at the Manhattan marriage bureau in December 2013. The couple came to the Big Apple from Warsaw as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s “NYC I Do” campaign, which invited gay tourists to wed if they lived in...

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...

Ireland is passing new legislation allowing unmarried couples to apply to adopt. An amendment to the Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017 has been signed, allowing unmarried couples to put forward applications to adopt a child. The changes to adoption laws will commence starting tomorrow (Thursday 19 October). Previously, only married couples were allowed to adopt a child. This was the case whether a couple was gay or straight. With this new legislation, unmarried couples will now be eligible to adopt in Ireland. This is...

Archbishop Glenn Davies says same-sex marriage would have "irreparable consequences." The Anglican church has donated $1 million Australian (or about $85,000 U.S.) to fight same-sex marriage in Australia. The Sydney archdiocese’s donation is the largest public contribution to the “No” campaign, which is urging Australians to vote against legalizing marriage equality in the national postal survey ending November 15. “Brothers and sisters, the stakes are high and the cost is high,” said Archbishop Glenn Davies. “Yet the cause is just and it...

India is currently deciding whether to go forward with a new proposed plan for a Uniform Civil Code. The idea is to bring together the country’s many different religious groups and create a common public law for them all to follow. The Uniform Civil Code would affect laws around marriage, divorce, inheritance and parenting, and would be a massive overhaul for India’s legal system. India’s Law Commission asked a group of citizens to research and put together a draft for the proposed...

Looks like Smith might not be single after all When singer Sam Smith came back to the music scene in early September, he revealed he was ‘very, very single‘. However, it looks like that might no longer be the case. Photos obtained by TMZ and posted on Twitter show the Oscar winner, 25, kissing his new beau, 13 Reasons Why actor Brandon Flynn, 23. https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/915304041328119809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaystarnews.com%2Farticle%2Fsam-smith-kissing-actor-nyc%2F The pair were spotted in New York City’s Greenwich Village this week. According to onlookers, they were getting...

'Democracy sausage' was the 2016 Australian Word of the Year An Australian tradition is being brought to the campaign for marriage equality and it might help get the ‘yes’ votes over the line. Australia is holding a non-compulsory post survey on marriage equality, with people having the option of sending their postal forms back if they choose to. Usually, voting at federal and state elections is compulsory in Australia. Some time ago a tradition was born where polling stations hosted ‘sausage sizzles’,...

"We love just like everyone else. Please, Australia." The postal survey that will help decide the fate of marriage equality in Australia underway, with the results being announced on November 15. And a number of celebrities have been vocal in their support for same-sex marriage Down Under. Below, we list 11 of the biggest names encouraging Australians to vote “Yes.” Hugh Jackman https://www.instagram.com/p/BVz2EhmjKBy/ The Wolverine star is the latest celebrity to announce he’s voting “yes” in the poll, tweeting that he and his wife...

Hugh Jackman is the latest Australian celebrity to come out in support of marriage equality. With the country now voting on same-sex marriage, the Wolverine star is explaining why he and his wife, Deborah-Lee Furness, are showing support for the "yes" vote. https://twitter.com/RealHughJackman/status/912637963686809601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fpost%2Fhugh-jackman-shows-his-support-marriage-equality-australia He writes: “We believe all Australians deserve to be treated equally under the law. That’s why Deb & I are voting YES #equality and #love!” Every bit of support for the yes vote is a tremendous help. Recently, in Sydney, protesters held...

Mayor Darcy Byrne has announced that he would like to make same-sex marriages free if Australia decides to legalize them. Darcy Byrne just recently won his mayoral seat with the Inner West Council, a local government council in control of the inner western region of New South Wales in the city of Sydney, Australia. Just days after that win, Cr Byrne in a Facebook Live session made the announcement saying that he will use council resources to help same-sex couples. "We have...

Elton John has made an emotional plea for equal marriage on Instagram. Gay icon Elton John has called for equal marriage in Australia in an emotional Instagram post yesterday (September 21). The singer, who married David Furnish in 2014, stated that being able to “openly love” is what makes life “truly worth living.” John also confessed his love for the country, before stating he hopes it can “embrace the honest and courage” for marriage equality. He wrote: “Almost 24 years ago, I met...