Tag: same-sex weddings

A large majority of voters in the Czech Republic now support equal marriage – as pressure grows in the country to end a ban on same-sex weddings. 16 countries across Western and Northern Europe have now introduced same-sex marriage, but progress has been slower across Central and Eastern European countries, where polls suggest a majority still oppose the reform – leading to a stark divide across the continent. However, a poll this week in the Czech Republic shows that support for...

If you've planned that big ol' gay destination wedding or have been invited to attend nuptials on a cruise ship, you had better check your plans. Marriage ceremonies onboard P&O cruise ships are no longer legal. The company had announced earlier this year that it had begun taking bookings for legal same-sex weddings at sea, with the plan to have ceremonies start begin offered in January 2018. But it's a cruise ship and at sea. What kind of political change would...

A decision in favour of the baker could lead to widespread discrimination A gay couple’s landmark wedding cake case will appear before the US Supreme Court today (December 5). The legal battle began back in 2012 when baker Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, refused to make David Mullins and Charlie Craig a cake for their wedding. Phillips claimed making the cake went against his Christian beliefs and said it was his “standard business practice not to provide cakes for same-sex...

"Getting married by the captain in the middle of the ocean is an unforgettable experience.” Following a court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in Bermuda, Carnival Corporation announced on Tuesday that it will now offer same-sex wedding packages on its Princess, P&O, and Cunard Line cruises, which are all registered in the North Atlantic nation. Marriage licenses will be issued by the Bermudan government, and ceremonies will be performed by the ship’s captain or deputy captain. The first ceremony is already scheduled for...

The Scottish Episcopal Church has become the first mainstream branch of Christianity in the UK to allow same-sex weddings. In a vote this afternoon at its General Synod, all three houses of the meeting – the bishops, clergy and laity – came out in favour. The decision was overwhelming, with at least two-thirds of all groups voting for same-sex weddings. In all, 74 percent of the General Synod voted for the motion, which will remove the definition that marriage is between a...

A restaurant has defended a policy restricting a ‘date night’ offer to opposite-sex couples. The Lake Restaurant in Brakpan, South Africa advertises a special Thursday night offer exclusively for couples. However, South African outlet Eyewitness News revealed that the owners explicitly ban gay couples from attending under the rules. In a clip filmed by the outlet, a manager denies entry to two men on a date, explaining: “It is not that we discriminate but on our Thursday we have it that it is...

The Saint Cloud couple are challenging Minnesota’s Human Rights Act Film and video company Telescope Media Group, owned by married couple Carl and Angel Larsen, filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against Minnesota’s commissioner of human rights, Kevin Lindsey, and attorney general, Lori Swanson. The Larsens allege that the state’s laws will lead to them to be punished for refusing to provide video footage services to same-sex couples wishing to marry. The lawsuits says that the Larsens, ‘Are Christians who believe...