Tag: same sex marriage

Court says ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional; unless law is amended within two years, marriage equality becomes legal Taiwan is set to be the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. A top court in the country today ruled that the current law, banning same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional. Marriage equality can become law in two years The Council of Grand Justices in Taipei decreed that if a law amendment to change the constitution is not introduced with two years, the interpretation of...

The Church of Scotland could be allowing ministers to perform same-sex marriages, if they wish to The Church of Scotland may soon be allowing same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Scotland since 2014, but with the premise that individual churches can decide whether or not to perform such unions. On Thursday, 25 May, Kirk’s General Assembly will be meeting in Edinburgh to discuss how the Church of Scotland can make amends with the LGBTI community by participating in same-sex unions. ‘The...

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...

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....

'Today, history has been made and love has won' Bermuda legalized same-sex marriage yesterday (5 May) after a long and arduous Supreme Court case. Bermudian Winston Godwin and his Canadian fiancé, Greg DeRoche fought for the right to be married on the British island territory. The Registrar-General rejected their application to be married on the island, so they took their fight to the top court, arguing that the Human Rights Act took primacy in Bermuda. Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons said in the ruling:...

Could same-sex marriage be beneficial to your mental health? That’s the takeaway from a new study from The University of Washington, part of the national investigation “Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, Sexuality/Gender Study,” which is one of the first to examine same-sex marriage and how it affects mental health. “There were big gaps for health and well-being between married gay couples and gay singles,” says lead author Jayn Goldsen, a research study supervisor at the University of Washington’s School of...

HB780 aimed to bypass nationwide same-sex marriage and make it illegal in the state A bill banning same-sex marriage in the state of North Carolina is dead on arrival, according to a Republican House speaker. Just one day after the bill was introduced, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said the bill won’t be heard afterall. The bill, known as the Uphold Historical Marriage Act, aims to bypass the nationwide right to same-sex marriage. HB780 says: ‘Marriages between persons of the same gender...

A bill has been preliminarily approved in Texas, which would allow judges and officials to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licences. The bill would defend any judge or official with a religious objection to same-sex marriage. The proposed by was put forward by Senator Brian Birdwell. It passed on Tuesday with 21-10. It has a clause which means judges can only refuse if another official steps in to issue the legal documents for marriage. But it does allow documents to be sent electronically...

Brazil’s first openly gay mayor has tied the knot with his partner of 13 years. Edgar de Souza, mayor of the small Brazilian city of Lins, married his partner Alexsandro Luciano Trindade in front of 300 friends and family on Saturday 4 March. According to CNN, de Souza said of the wedding: “It wasn’t supposed to be a political act, it was a ceremony for us. We waited long enough! But of course, it was also political. “It’s the first time in...

Christopher Turner is husband of author Armistead Maupin. He says he can no longer overlook his step-mom’s beliefs on same-sex marriage A letter by San Francisco-based photographer Christopher Turner, the husband of acclaimed author Armistead Maupin, is going viral on Facebook. Within it, Turner takes his stepmom to task on her beliefs and attitudes around LGBTI rights and same-sex marriage. We’re re-printing it below: ‘You’re on the wrong side of history’ ‘I recently discovered that my step mother who prides herself on being a...

“Policies on sexual minority rights can have a real effect on the mental health of adolescents.” A new study suggests that suicide attempts by lesbian, gay and bisexual teens declined as same-sex marriage became more prevalent in the United States. Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Harvard analyzed data on more than 700,000 public high school students on risky behaviors, including suicidal ideations. Roughly 230,000 identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual—a group four times more likely to attempt suicide. (The study didn’t...

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...

The Court of Appeal has ruled against a couple fighting for straight civil partnerships. A couple from London, Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, have been in a legal battle for three years to be granted a civil partnership as an alternative to marriage, which they believe has “sexist” and “patriarchal” connotations. The couple first applied for a civil partnership notice in 2014, before being rejected. Civil partnerships were brought in back in 2004 under Tony Blair’s New Labour government, allowing legally binding...

A link has been found between the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the US and a drop in youth suicide attempts. Researchers at the John Hopkins University say suicide attempts by high school students fell by an average of 7% after marriage equality was introduced, with a 14% drop among gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers. Julia Raifman, co-author of the research, said: “These are high school students, so they aren’t getting married any time soon, for the most part. Still, permitting...