Taiwan's parliament approves same-sex marriages in first for Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's parliament legalized same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation. 

Lawmakers comfortably passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to form "exclusive permanent unions" and another clause that would let them apply for a "marriage registration" with government agencies.

The vote—which took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia—is a major victory for the island's LGBT community who have campaigned for years to have equal marriage rights and it places the island at the vanguard of Asia's burgeoning gay rights movement.

In recent months conservatives had mobilized to rid the law of any reference to marriage, instead putting forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions. But those bills struggled to receive enough votes.

Gay rights groups hailed the vote on Friday, saying the ability to apply for a "marriage registration"—known as Clause Four—put their community much closer to parity with heterosexual couples.

"The passage of Clause Four ensures that two persons of the same-sex can register their marriage on May 24th and ensure that Taiwan becomes the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage and to successfully open a new page in history," said the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights.

Court order 

Two years ago Taiwan's top court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry violates the constitution with judges giving the government until May 24, 2019 to make the changes or see marriage equality enacted automatically.

Other key sections of the law were still being debated and voted on Friday, including what, if any, provisions there will be for same-sex couples to adopt.

Whatever the result, the law will not bring full parity with heterosexual couples as even the most progressive version only offers biological adoptions.

Gay rights groups had previously indicated they were willing to accept compromises, as long as the new law recognized the concept of marriage, adding they could fight legal battles over surrogacy and adoption down the line.

"In Taiwan a marriage will take effect when it's registered, so allowing marriage registration is no doubt recognising the marriage itself," Victoria Hsu, a gay rights lawyer, told AFP.

Families divided 

In the last decade, Taiwan has been one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights, staging the continent's biggest annual gay pride parade.

But the island remains a staunchly conservative place, especially outside urban areas.

Conservative and religious groups were buoyed by a series of referendum wins in November, in which voters comprehensively rejected defining marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman, illustrating the limited popular support.

In a Facebook post President Tsai Ing-wen said she recognized the issue had divided "families, generations and even inside religious groups".

"Today, we have a chance to make history and show the world that progressive values can take root in an East Asian society," she added in a tweet ahead of the vote.

Tsai had previously spoken in favour of gay marriage but was later accused of dragging her feet after the court judgement, fearful of a voter backlash.

Taiwan goes to the polls in January.

Thousands of gay rights supporters gathered outside parliament for the vote, despite heavy downpours.

"We are just a group of people who want to live well on this land and who love each other," gay activist Cindy Su told the crowd.

But opponents were incensed by the vote, saying the inclusion of the "marriage registration" clause ignored the referendum.

Tseng Hsien-ying, from the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation, told local media the vote "trampled on Taiwanese people's expectations that a marriage and a family is formed by a man and a woman, a husband and a wife".

Australia and New Zealand are the only places in the wider Asia-Pacific region to have passed gay marriage laws.

Taiwan is the first place in Asia to do so.

Vietnam decriminalized gay marriage celebrations in 2015, but it stopped short of full legal recognition for same-sex unions.

source: philstar.com

Ireland gay marriage law comes into force

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Ireland's new same-sex marriage law comes into force from Monday, six months after the country voted to allow gay unions in a historic referendum.

Existing same-sex marriages registered abroad will be immediately recognized in Ireland, while other couples can now submit their intention to marry.

"I felt I didn't have permission to say we were married but from now we will say it at every opportunity," said Vivian Cummins, 57, from Dublin who married his partner Erney in South Africa in 2009.

"I would never really admit by choice to being married because I didn't feel married in this country," he told AFP.

In May, Ireland voted 62.1 percent in favor of allowing marriage between two people "without distinction as to their sex," the first time anywhere that gay marriage has been legalized in a referendum.

It was a long journey for LGBT campaigners in the traditionally Catholic country that only decriminalised homosexual acts in 1993.

"After years of waiting for this day, it's just an extraordinary moment for us," said Senator Katherine Zappone, who lost a High Court case in 2006 to have her Canadian marriage to her wife recognized in Ireland.

The couple plan to bring their "marriage home" in a ceremony in January after Zappone proposed to her wife Ann Louise Gilligan live on national television after the referendum result was announced.

A total of 2,054 couples have entered a civil partnership since Ireland introduced the legal unions in 2011 but a further ceremony will be required to convert these into marriage, with just a few days’ notice.

Under Irish law, it is required to submit an "intention to marry" to authorities three months before a marriage.

Longest engagement on Earth

Those already in civil partnerships will only have to give five days’ notice under the new rules.

And the 187 couples who have applied for civil partnerships since the referendum will be able to get married instead, from as soon as Monday in some cases.

"I think it's going to be massive," said wedding planner Marian Purcell of Gay Weddings Ireland.

Purcell has 15 same-sex weddings booked already and "a lot more in the pipeline" with enquiries from couples in America, Slovenia, Italy and England.

"It's going to be very exciting in the future. I don't think it will die down after the initial few, everyone loves a good wedding," she told AFP.

"People are seeing Ireland in a new light as an LGBT friendly country for honeymoons and holidays too."

But after a long campaign and several milestones, as the new legislation worked its way through parliament, campaigners are looking forward to weddings beginning.

"I suspect people must now be feeling like this is the longest engagement on Earth," said Colm O'Gorman, chief executive of Amnesty International Ireland and one of the leading "Yes" campaigners.

"We are at last at the stage where people are just getting on with their lives and marriages can happen."

source: interaksyon.com

Landmark rulings see US Supreme Court move to the left

WASHINGTON DC - With four justices appointed by Democratic presidents and five by Republican leaders, the US Supreme Court is generally perceived as being weighted in favor of conservatives.

But after two historic rulings in a week supporting progressive causes -- legalizing gay marriage across America and upholding President Barack Obama's health care overhaul -- the conservatives are lashing out.

They are slamming what they see as a blatant disregard of the law in favor of a win in the court of public opinion.

Ultra-conservative justice Antonin Scalia called the 5-4 ruling in favor of legalizing gay marriage nationwide a "judicial putsch" that was "lacking even a thin veneer of law."

"Just who do we think we are?" asked Chief Justice John Roberts, who also opposed the gay marriage ruling.

He said the ruling had "nothing to do with" the Constitution and blasted the decision as "an act of will, not legal judgment."

Scalia also lambasted his colleagues for voting 6-3 to uphold "Obamacare," which has extended health insurance to millions of Americans.

Conservatives say Obamacare represents unconstitutional government intrusion into the lives of private citizens.

"Today's opinion changes the usual rules of statutory interpretation for the sake of the Affordable Care Act," Scalia wrote.

"We should start calling this law SCOTUScare," he added, using the acronym for the Supreme Court.

 'Judicial activism'

Aside from the health care and gay marriage rulings, the court also voted in the past week to uphold a key tool used to fight housing discrimination -- another big win for the Obama administration.

In the past, other landmark Supreme Court rulings have ushered in the legalization of abortion, the end of racial segregation in schools, and the authorization of mixed-race marriages.

But this week's decisions left some accusing the court of siding with public opinion -- and not the Constitution.

Ryan Anderson, a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, called the gay marriage ruling "perhaps as clear of an example of judicial activism as any we have seen in recent years –- or are likely (hopefully) to see in the future."

"The majority of the Court simply replaced the people’s opinion about what marriage is with its own," he said.

In each of this week's three main big rulings, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was appointed in the 1980s under the conservative Ronald Reagan but is considered moderate, sided with his progressive counterparts.

Roberts, the chief justice, also added his vote to the health care ruling, perhaps to protect the court from accusations it voted along political lines.

Constitution 'pliable, long-lasting guide'

"This is not about a 'conservative' or 'liberal' court," said Lisa Linsky, a partner at the McDermott Will & Emery law firm.

"This is about the highest court in the land being cognizant of the world around it and the fundamental principles and protections that are embedded in our constitution," Linsky said.

"The founding fathers of this country created the constitution to be a pliable, long-lasting guide for living life in a civilized society," she added.

These cases "impacted real people in profound and far-reaching ways," she told AFP, noting that "any other result would have caused chaos."

If the Obamacare ruling had gone the other way, millions of people could have been left without health insurance.

"Their attention in that case to the economic realities of the health insurance market was part of their statutory interpretation, not some free-floating analysis of what would be good policy," said David Cruz, an expert from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

In the gay marriage ruling, Kennedy wrote that same-sex couples should not be denied the "constellation of benefits" afforded married partners, such as tax and inheritance rights.

Mary Margaret Penrose, a law professor at Texas A&M University, noted that "the receipt of these benefits traditionally are matters of policy and legislation, not constitutional mandate."

Steve Sanders, who teaches constitutional litigation at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, said the court should be expected to show some flexibility.

"The point is not that we should make law by opinion poll," he said.

"The point is that, under our Constitution, we expect courts to step in and act when a minority group is being denied a fundamental right based on the transient passions and discredited motives of a political majority."

Statistics show that during the current Supreme Court session, which is set to end Monday, the justices have taken more left-leaning decisions.

According to a New York Times analysis, about 56 percent of rulings by the court were considered progressive.

source: interaksyon.com

GAY WORLD | 19 countries with same-sex marriage

PARIS, France - Ireland has voted to legalize same-sex marriage, official results showed on Saturday, joining 18 countries which have made, or are in the process of making the change, 13 of them in Europe.

Referendums have previously been held in Croatia and Slovenia, and in both cases voters rejected legalizing gay marriage. In Slovenia same-sex marriages were, however, legalized by parliament in March 2015.

Europe

IRELAND: A constitutional amendment to allow gay marriage is passed in a May 22 referendum by 62 percent in favor to 38 percent against.

Parliament will now have to vote for the change to become law -- a formality since all the political parties were in favor.

THE NETHERLANDS: In April 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to allow gays and lesbians to marry in a civil ceremony and adopt children.

BELGIUM: Same-sex marriage was made legal in June 2003, but some restrictions apply. Homosexual couples were allowed to adopt children in 2006.

SPAIN: The country's socialist government made same-sex marriage legal in July 2005. Homosexual couples were also allowed to adopt, regardless of their marital status.

NORWAY: Homosexuals and heterosexuals were put on the same legal footing in January 2009 and allowed to marry, adopt and resort to assisted reproductive technologies.

SWEDEN: Same-sex couples were allowed to marry in civil or Lutheran Church ceremonies in May 2009. Adoptions for all have been legal since 2003.

PORTUGAL: Same-sex marriage has been legal since June 2010 but adoptions by homosexuals are not.

ICELAND: Same-sex marriages were legalized in June 2010, adoptions by homosexuals in 2006.

DENMARK: Since June 2012, gays and lesbians are allowed to marry in Lutheran Church ceremonies. Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize civil unions for gays and lesbians in 1989.

FRANCE: Same-sex marriage and adoptions by homosexuals were legalized in May 2013.

ENGLAND AND WALES: A law authorizing same-sex marriage was adopted in July 2013, followed by SCOTLAND in February 2014. British-controlled NORTHERN IRELAND remains deeply divided on the issue and is the only part of the United Kingdom not to make the change.

LUXEMBOURG: Parliament approved same-sex marriage in June 2014 and, just months after the law came into force, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel married his gay partner in May 2015.

SLOVENIA: Parliament voted in March 2015 to legalize gay marriage, three years after Slovenians voted against the measure in a referendum.

FINLAND: Voted for gay marriage in 2014, with the law set to come into effect in 2017.

North America

CANADA: A law authorizing same-sex marriage and adoptions entered into force in July 2005.

UNITED STATES: Same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states as well as the capital Washington DC. In a landmark decision in June 2013 the US Supreme Court found that couples in same-sex marriages are entitled to the same benefits and protections as their heterosexual counterparts. Judges are due to rule on the status of gay marriage nationwide in June.

MEXICO: The country's federal capital has allowed same-sex marriage since 2009.

South America

ARGENTINA: In July 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. Homosexual couples can also adopt.

URUGUAY: In April 2013, Uruguay became the second Latin American country to approve same-sex marriage. It had legalized adoptions by same-sex couples in 2009.

BRAZIL: It has de facto authorized same-sex marriage since May 14, 2013, after the National Council of Justice ordered clerks to register all marriages pending the adoption of a law by parliament.

Africa

SOUTH AFRICA: In November 2006, it became the first African country to legalize same-sex civil partnerships or marriage, also allowing couples to adopt.

Asia-Pacific

NEW ZEALAND: Marriage between homosexuals was legalized in April 2013, around 27 years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the first such decision in the Asia-Pacific region.

source: interaksyon.com

Mississippi pastor trots out horse in wedding dress to protest gay marriage

A Mississippi pastor brought a horse in a wedding dress to stand with him outside a federal courthouse on Friday in Jackson to protest a federal judge's ruling, currently on hold, to overturn the socially conservative state's ban on gay marriage.

The horse, complete with white flowers tucked into its harness and a bouquet at its feet, munched grass as the pastor, Edward James of Bertha Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, spoke and waved signs at passersby.

"Do you take this horse to be your unnatural wedded spouse to have and to hold?" one sign read.

US District Judge Carlton Reeves struck down Mississippi's same-sex marriage ban in a ruling last month. Gay couples cannot yet marry in Mississippi pending the outcome of a state appeal to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which is hearing arguments in the case on January 9.

Gay marriage is legal in 35 US states, a trend that has accelerated since the Supreme Court ruled in June 2013 that legally married same-sex couples nationwide are eligible for federal benefits, striking down a key part of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.

While gay marriage advocates have enjoyed the upper hand in the courts since then, the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals in November became the first to rule the other way in upholding state bans on same-sex marriage.

That decision was seen as setting the stage for the Supreme Court to finally rule on the merits of gay marriage nationwide.

Mississippi is home to an estimated 3,484 same-sex couples, according to the most recent decennial census. About one quarter of the couples are raising children.

Speaking in a video-taped interview with the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, James acknowledged that his horse bride was absurd, but said the spectacle served a point.

"Although it's ridiculous, so is the same-sex marriage status," he said.

source: interaksyon.com

7,000 same-sex couples tied the knot in France last year

PARIS  - About 7,000 same-sex couples tied the knot in France last year after gay marriage was legalised in May, the national statistics agency said Tuesday.

France legalised same-sex marriage after months of intense and sometimes violent protests, in keeping with an election pledge by Socialist President Francois Hollande, who faced a huge backlash from the opposition right and the powerful Catholic Church.




Same-sex unions made up around three percent of the total number of 238,000 marriages registered in France in 2013, the Insee statistics agency said.

Three out of every five gay marriages involved male couples, it said.

The average age at which male gay men got married was 50, while it was 43 for women. The corresponding average age for heterosexual couples was 37 and 34.

The first gay marriage in France was held on May 29 in the southern city of Montpellier, which has a gay-friendly reputation.

But many die-hard conservatives have continued to oppose the measure. Some mayors argue that the lack of an option not to perform gay marriages violates the French constitution, which stipulates that freedom of conscience is a fundamental human right.

Several have refused to conduct gay marriages on the grounds it goes against their beliefs, but the Constitutional Council, France's top court, has ruled they cannot do this.

source: interaksyon.com

Couples tie knot en masse in Rio's first gay marriages

RIO DE JANEIRO - A total of 130 couples said "I do" in a mass wedding Sunday at Rio de Janeiro's Superior Court of Justice, marking the city's first gay civil marriages.

In mid-May, Brazilian courts determined that public offices that oversee marriages cannot reject gay couples, even though Brazil's national congress has passed no law on the matter.

Some public offices had already been accepting marriage applications from homosexual couples, while others denied them.

An emotional Viviane Soares Lessa de Faria, 38, smiled at her partner and told news site G1 "I've dreamed of marrying her since I met her."

Her wife's 29-year-old son was the couple's best man.

For Giuseppe Laricchia, 21, marrying his boyfriend was about guaranteeing rights.

"We need to have equality compared with heterosexual couples," he said.

Judge Cristina Gaulia said the mass ceremony marked a "political victory."

Civil unions between gay couples were recognized two years ago by the Supreme Court, which granted gay spouses the same rights as heterosexual spouses.

source: interaksyon.com

Illinois becomes 16th US state to legalize gay marriage

CHICAGO - Illinois became the 16th US state to legalize gay marriage Wednesday, just days after Hawaii passed marriage equality legislation.

"What we're celebrating today is the triumph of democracy, the triumph of liberty," Governor Pat Quinn said as he prepared to sign the bill into law on a desk used by President Abraham Lincoln, who hailed from Illinois.

"Part of our unfinished business is to help the rest of America achieve marriage equality," Quinn said at an hour-long bill signing ceremony attended by around 3,000 cheering people.


Marriage laws are governed by individual US states, 29 of which have amended their constitutions to ban same-sex marriage.

Efforts to give same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals have gathered steam in recent years.

Perhaps one of the most important victories was when the US Supreme Court in June struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

As a result, the federal government was allowed to recognize same-sex couples in all federal matters, such as sharing pension benefits.

Courts have also overturned state bans on gay marriage, most recently in New Jersey.

The 2012 elections were considered a sea change for the matter.

Voters in three states -- Maine, Maryland, and Washington -- endorsed ballot measures aimed at legalizing gay marriage while Minnesota voters rejected an effort to enshrine a gay marriage ban in the state constitution.

The Illinois bill is set to go in effect on June 1, 2014. The Midwestern state is the 5th largest state in the nation with a population of 13 million people.

source: interaksyon.com

Hawaii begins debating gay marriage

HONOLULU -- Hawaii started debating on Monday a proposal that would make the popular wedding and honeymoon destination the 15th US state to legalize same-sex marriage, repealing a voter-approved constitutional amendment that banned gay matrimony.

Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie appeared as the first witness in support of the measure with more than 1,800 people signed up to address the state Senate Judiciary Committee during a special session called by the governor.

The debate this week in Hawaii, which allows civil unions, comes at a time of increasing momentum for gay marriage in the courts, at the ballot box and statehouses across the country.

The governor stressed that the proposal was crafted to address opponents' concerns that legalizing gay marriage would infringe on religious freedom. The proposal exempts clergy and churches from having to perform same-sex marriages.

"Our whole focus has been on trying to accommodate the First Amendment here with respect to people's religious rights, and that's been done in good faith," Abercrombie said.

Hearings in the state House of Representatives are scheduled to open on Thursday.

Democrats hold an overwhelming majority over Republicans in both chambers -- 24-1 in the Senate and 44-7 in the House -- virtually assuring passage of a gay marriage bill.

Momentum

The special session was originally expected to last five days, but there is already talk of the legislature taking two weeks to complete its work.

Abercrombie, who served more than two decades in the US House of Representatives before running for governor in 2010, signed a same-sex civil unions bill into law two years ago and has since been a vocal proponent of gay marriage.

His immediate predecessor, Republican Linda Lingle, vetoed a civil unions bill in 2010.

Just one year ago, only six states and the District of Columbia recognized same-sex marriage. That number has more than doubled since then, due in most cases to litigation over the issue.

Maine, Maryland and Washington state became the first three states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by popular vote with passage of ballot initiatives last November.

In June, the US Supreme Court forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where such unions are legal and upheld a lower-court decision throwing out a state ban on gay matrimony in California.

And last week New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped his legal opposition to gay marriage, making his state the 14th to legalize same-sex weddings.

The New Mexico Supreme Court is expected to decide by year's end whether same-sex marriage should be recognized statewide rather than county by county, and the Illinois legislature is also considering the issue.

source: interaksyon.com

Australian capital is first territory to allow gay marriage Down Under

SYDNEY -- Australia's national capital on Tuesday passed laws making it the first territory to allow gay marriage and said a legal challenge from the federal government would not stop same-sex weddings from going ahead.

Same-sex unions are available in a majority of Australian states but because marriage comes under federal legislation these couples are not formally recognized as married by the government.

The new law passed by the Australian Capital Territory's 17-member Legislative Assembly in Canberra means the first weddings could take place by the end of the year, Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said.

"I am sorry that the Commonwealth threat hangs over this law, but couples who marry will do so with their eyes open to the action that the Commonwealth is taking," Gallagher said in introducing the bill.

"We understand this creates some uncertainty ahead, but that should not deter us; it does not rattle us and it doesn't change our path."

Australia has six states and two mainland territories.

The Marriage Equality Act means that gay couples from outside the small Australian Capital Territory, home to the city of Canberra and the national parliament, could travel there to be wed by an authorized celebrant.

Gallagher said the national Attorney-General George Brandis had urged her not to go ahead with the legislation as it was inconsistent with federal laws that do not permit same-sex weddings.

Brandis has vowed to challenge the move in the High Court, with the outcome potentially affecting those who used the law to wed.

Gallagher said activists had fought for the right for too long to be put off by another legal hurdle, adding that the Australian Capital Territory was confident its law was strong.

"We are simply legislating to improve outdated, inhumane laws," she said.

Gallagher acknowledged opposition to the change, particularly from those of strong religious faith, but said the bill did not in her view challenge, diminish or undermine the religion or faith of any individual.

"If we are to be judged by a higher being on this law then let it be so," she said.

ACT opposition leader Jeremy Hanson opposed the bill, which was passed with the support of Greens member Shane Rattenbury.

"We do not see the ACT Assembly as a vehicle to drive national agendas on social agendas," he said. "We are Australia's smallest parliament in a small jurisdiction and we do not think that a majority of one person in the ACT should change the definition of marriage for a country of over 23 million people."

In April New Zealand became the first Asia-Pacific country to legalize gay marriage.

source: interaksyon.com

Hawaii governor calls for debate on legalizing gay marriage

LOS ANGELES -- Hawaii's governor on Monday called a special legislative assembly next month to debate a bill legalizing gay marriage, in what would make it the 14th US state to do so.

Lawmakers in the Pacific island state will meet from October 28 to discuss a bill "to address the issue of marriage equity," said Governor Neil Abercrombie, who in 2011 signed into a law legalizing same-sex civil unions.

"The purpose of the Act as stated in the bill is to recognize marriages between individuals of the same sex ... and to address questions of equity, civilly and otherwise," he said.

"I've spent my entire life, politically, trying to find what's the fairest thing to do," he tweeted a short time later.

Attorney General David Louis said that, if the bill is approved, Hawaii could start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples from November 18.

Thirteen US states plus the capital Washington, a federal district, allow gay marriage.

In June, the US Supreme Court voted for the repeal of the defense of traditional marriage, which prevented same-sex couples from enjoying the same rights as heterosexual couples.

source: interaksyon.com

Hundreds gather in Taiwan to support gay marriage bill

TAIPEI - More than 1,200 Taiwanese people joined a mock "wedding banquet" on Saturday aiming to drum up support for a same-sex marriage bill due to be sent to parliament soon, organisers said.

Participants sat around tables decorated with red cloths printed with the Chinese character for "wedding", as they had dinner and watched a video recording of local celebrities showing support as well as live performances in a makeshift banquet venue in a square outside the presidential office in Taipei.

"This looks likes a traditional wedding scene and even if it's not real, I think a picture is worth a thousand words and I hope we will get more public attention and support for same-sex marriages," said Richard Chen, a 22-year-old student from Taipei.

The event was aimed at building momentum for a bill on legalising same-sex marriage and civil partnership drafted by the advocacy group Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, set to be submitted to parliament when its next session begins in mid-September, the alliance said.

"We organised the event in the form of a wedding banquet in the hope that everyone regardless of his or her sexual orientation can have equal rights to get married and have families," said Severia Lu, a spokeswoman for the alliance.

"We are optimistic about the bill as public support in Taiwan is growing while there is also a global trend to recognise same-sex marriages after France, Britain and New Zealand enacted such laws."

Gay and lesbian groups in Taiwan, one of Asia's more liberal societies, have been urging the government for years to make same-sex unions legal.

Last year, more than 50,000 gays and lesbians and their supporters marched in Taiwan to push for legalising same-sex marriage as the island marked its 10th annual Gay Pride event.

However, the campaign suffered a setback in January when Chen Ching-hsueh and partner Kao Chih-wei dropped their appeal to an administrative court against a government agency which had rejected their marriage registration in 2011.

Chen said he had "lost his faith in the judiciary" but added that death threats to him and his parents via Facebook had been among factors prompting him to abandon the appeal.

"I think there is still a difficult road ahead of us because there is not enough public consensus on the issue of same-sex marriages. I think we have to wait for one or two years for the bill to be passed," said participant Ruby Tsai, a 24-year-old who works in retailing.

source: interaksyon.com

US grants married gay couples federal tax benefits

WASHINGTON -- All legally wed gay couples, no matter which state they live in, are entitled to the same US federal tax benefits as married heterosexual couples, the Obama administration said on Thursday.

The US Treasury ruling, following a landmark Supreme Court decision in June, means that whether a married gay couple lives in New York, which recognizes gay marriage, or Oklahoma, which does not, federal tax benefits and responsibilities apply.

The Supreme Court on June 26 invalidated a key portion of a 1996 federal law, known as the Defense of Marriage Act, which had defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

There was some uncertainty after the Supreme Court ruling about how the tax status of gay married couples would be treated in dozens of states that have laws against gay marriage.

"Today's ruling provides certainty and clear, coherent tax filing guidance for all legally married same-sex couples nationwide. It provides access to benefits, responsibilities and protections under federal tax law that all Americans deserve," Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said.

There are about 130,000 same-sex married couples in the United States, according to estimates from the Census Bureau.

Gay rights backers said the ruling could prompt same-sex couples in states where gay marriage is not legal to travel to states where it is recognized to wed.

"We will see many more couples from the more than 30 states without marriage equality come to New York," said Nathan Schaeffer, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

Retroactive

Under the ruling, effective September 16, gay married couples may file amended tax returns to change their filing status going back to tax years 2010, 2011 and 2012 to seek possible tax refunds, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

A Supreme Court ruling in June made California the 13th of the 50 US states to recognize gay marriage. The District of Columbia also recognizes gay marriage. Thirty-five US states have laws on their books restricting marriage to a man and a woman.

"With today's ruling, committed and loving gay and lesbian married couples will now be treated equally under our nation's federal tax laws, regardless of what state they call home," said Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin.

The ruling means legally married same-sex couples may choose to file their federal taxes as married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Marriage status under federal tax law brings both benefits and penalties. On the plus side, legally married spouses are exempted from the federal estate tax. On the other hand, some gay couples above a certain income threshold may face the "marriage penalty" that some heterosexual couples confront.

An anti-gay marriage group denounced the ruling.

"The Obama administration is intent on forcing same-sex 'marriage' on an unwilling public," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage.

State issues

While the ruling brings clarity to federal tax returns, it could cause confusion for state returns filed by gay married couples in states that do not recognize their marriages.

In 24 of the states that do not recognize gay marriage, the law requires taxpayers to refer to federal tax returns, setting up a clash between state and federal authorities, the Tax Foundation, a conservative leaning think tank said in a report.

"Today's ruling will likely create administrative headaches for state taxing authorities in states that do not recognize same-sex marriages, because most state income tax regimes begin with federal taxable income as the starting point," Marvin Kirsner, a tax attorney at Greenberg Traurig, wrote in an email.

"States are going to have to issue guidance and I do think political opposition will arise," said Elizabeth Malm, an economist at the Tax Foundation, a free market think tank.

Growing public support

President Barack Obama and many of his fellow Democrats back gay marriage, but the number of supporters in both parties has been increasing in recent years. Republicans were parties to the Supreme Court lawsuit over the Defense of Marriage Act, but were mostly quiet after the court ruled.

A spokesman for John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, said he had no comment on the latest ruling announced by the Treasury Department.

Separately on Thursday, the US Department of Health and Human Services said same-sex spouses would have access to coverage in the nursing home where their spouse lives under privately run Medicare health insurance plans.

Other government agencies are expected to make announcements soon to square their policies with the Supreme Court ruling.

For example, the Social Security and Veterans administrations have statutes that turn to state law in defining marriage. Gay marriage backers are awaiting clarification from those agencies on treatment of legally married gay couples.

source: interaksyon.com

Thailand could cash in if gay marriage is legalized

BANGKOK -- On a sweltering Saturday night in Bangkok's Patpong entertainment district, a group of men spill out of a neon-lit bar blasting dance music. Among them is Aashif Hassan and his long-term partner, both visitors from Malaysia.

"We're celebrating tonight. Where we're from, it's illegal to be gay. Here we feel liberated," said Hassan.

Known for its laissez-faire attitude, Thailand has positioned itself as a holiday destination for gay couples and could soon be cashing in on another niche market if a proposed law makes it the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage.

Other Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei ban sexual relationships between men, but Thailand has become a regional haven for same-sex couples.

A civil partnership law in the works aims to give lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples the same rights as heterosexuals. One lawmaker sees it passing by next year.

Same-sex unions are not currently recognized under Thai law, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. That stops gay couples applying for joint bank loans or medical insurance.

In 2012, a group of lawmakers and LGBT activists formed a committee to draft legislation recognizing same-sex couples.

But critics of the law say it will not give a level playing field because it raises the age of consent to 20 from 17 for homosexual couples. For heterosexuals it is 17.

Rights activists have another problem: the law would force transgenders to register their birth gender on their marriage certificate.

Thai law makes it impossible for people to change their gender on a national identification document.

Beyond legal aspects, some wonder whether Thailand, quite conservative in many ways, is really ready to blaze this trail.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1956 but considered a mental illness as recently as 2002. Many Thai Buddhists believe homosexuality is a punishment for sins committed in a past life.

Superficial acceptance

In one notorious case in 2011, Nurisan Chedurame, 24, was found dead on her village rubbish dump with her head smashed in.

Local media quoted police as saying her involvement with another woman was the reason she was murdered.

That same year, two women thought to have been in a sexual relationship were shot in a rice field outside Bangkok.

A worrying pattern of violent crimes prompted the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to write to the Thai government in 2012 demanding that police stop dismissing gender-based violence as crimes of passion.

Anjana Suvarnanda, a co-founder of the Anjaree Group, an LGBT rights group, said violence towards lesbians was often blamed on the victims. Many turn to mainstream social networking sites like Facebook to air their grievances.

"Our inbox is overflowing with messages from women whose parents are pressuring them to marry men," said Anjana.

Thai film and television has no shortage of LGBT stars. But Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, a transgender rights activist and program officer at UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency, in Bangkok, said acceptance is often superficial.

"The entertainment industry accepts us with open arms because we poke fun at ourselves and make people laugh. But if we want to be taken seriously in a field like medicine we are not afforded the same courtesy," Prempreeda told Reuters.

Her friends will hesitate to back the draft bill, she said, because they do not want to be identified by their birth gender.

Wiratana Kalayasiri, an opposition lawmaker pushing the civil union bill, said getting it on the agenda was tough as most members of parliament have conservative views on the issue.

"At first they bad-mouthed me and wondered if I would be struck by lightning for backing this," he said.

But many now see the merits of appealing to LGBT voters, he said, predicting the bill would pass in "less than a year."

Rights activist Anjana believes there is no time to waste.

When her friend collapsed and fell into a coma, it took hours for staff at a Bangkok hospital to attend to her.

"They insisted her husband sign the medical release form. Her partner is a woman, but the nurses refused to acknowledge this," said Anjana. "We urgently need the law to protect us. The rest, including less societal pressure, will follow."

source: interaksyon.com

Katy Perry confronts Australia’s opposition leader on gay marriage

SYDNEY | US pop star Katy Perry on Thursday took Tony Abbott to task over his stance on gay marriage, telling the Australian opposition leader she would not vote for him.

Abbott’s three daughters, aged 20 to 24, are Perry fans and he phoned in when she was a guest on Sydney’s 2DayFM radio station.

He said his “big question” was when would the 28-year-old again tour Australia.

“When are you coming back (to Australia)? We need you, we want you,” Abbott said.

Perry, however, was keener to discuss the policies of his conservative coalition ahead of elections on September 7.

“Oh come on, that’s not a political question. Let’s talk about gay marriage,” she replied from the United States, urging voters to speak out against Abbott’s stance on the issue.

“I love you as a human being but I can’t give you my vote,” Perry said, adding: “I just don’t believe in your policies so that’s what a lot of people should be doing.”

Despite having an openly gay sister, Abbott is opposed to same-sex marriages, in contrast to election rival Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has vowed to introduce a bill legalizing the unions if returned to office.

Questioned later by reporters about Perry, Abbott, seen as the favorite to win the election, said they “respectfully disagreed”, although they did agree to meet for lunch when Perry heads to Australia next year.

“I respectfully disagree with a number of people, including my own sister, on this subject, but no doubt we’ll all continue to say our piece,” he said, adding of his chat with the singer: “My daughters for once were envious of their dad.”

While leading in opinion polls, Abbott’s campaign has been littered with gaffes this week, including one on gay marriage Tuesday when he said: “I’m not someone who wants to see radical change based on the fashion of the moment.”

He later back-pedalled, saying it was a “very significant issue” among many in his party.

Perry is best known for hit songs such as “Teenage Dream,” California Gurls,” and “I Kissed a Girl.”

Abbott said her catchy hit “Hot n Cold” would make a good election anthem for his party, but Perry was not so sure.

“I don’t know, I don’t know if that’s the best song we can pick for a politician,” she said of a song that begins with the lyrics: “You change your mind like a girl changes clothes”.

source: interaksyon.com

Why are these two women kissing each other in public?

Because they're attending a pro gay marriage demonstration in Paris, France, that's why.

Held last April 23, the "oui , oui, oui" (yes, yes, yes) movement gathered supporters outside the French national assembly in Paris.

France's lower house National Assembly on the same day adopted a bill legalising same-sex marriages and adoptions for gay couples, defying months of opposition protests.

source: interaksyon.com

Divorce just as much a hurdle as marriage for US gays

WASHINGTON - It's hard enough for same-sex couples to marry in the United States, but divorce is a headache as well, and one that supporters of gay marriage hope the US Supreme Court can resolve.

"Divorce is the new frontier for gay couples," said Susan Sommer of Lambda Legal, a legal advice service for homosexuals. "They had to fight to be together, and they have to fight to get a divorce."

Like marriage, divorce laws are determined by each of the 50 states, only nine of which -- in addition to the federal capital Washington -- so far allow couples of the same sex to wed.

"If a couple is living in New York City... they can get a divorce in New York City," said Sommer, who is Lambda Legal's director of constitutional litigation and senior counsel.

But complications arise when couples relocate to a state where their marriage is not legally recognized, said Stuart Gaffney, media director of the lobbying group Marriage Equality USA.

Thus, a couple living in Utah, where gay marriage is not recognized, can marry in Massachusetts, where it is legal and where newlyweds are not obliged to live in the state.

If the couple returns to Utah and their marriage falls apart, however, they would have to go to another state to petition for a divorce -- which requires a period of residence of six months to two years, depending on the state.

There are also local particularities. In Wyoming, for instance, same-sex couples cannot marry but they can seek a divorce.

"It's a mess," Sommer told AFP.

A Marriage Equality USA activist who requested anonymity to speak freely said such a situation left her in a state of stress and uncertainty as to how to legally and financial separate from her partner, whom she married in Canada.

"It made for a very difficult, untenable situation," she said.

"Within less than a year, after several years of uncertainty, we made the decision to end the relationship and begin the process of a divorce. I was very fortunate to be able to get divorced.

"Unfortunately, other US citizens who get married in Canada, or in other locations where same-sex marriage is legalized, rarely have this right," she said. "They are left in perpetual legal limbo.

According to the Williams Institute, which conducts research on the gay community, one percent of same-sex marriages -- of which there were about 50,000 in 2011 -- end in divorce every year, half the proportion for heterosexuals.

But even happily married couples who live in a state that recognizes gay marriage have to face "nightmare" complications, with divorce being the ultimate problem, Gaffney said.

That's because, under the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal government recognizes only straight marriages -- with hundreds of repercussions involving such areas as income tax and retirement benefits.

LGBT activists are thus eagerly awaiting how the US Supreme Court will rule on DOMA after its justices hear both sides of the legal argument on March 26-27.

"Non-gay couples are treated as what they are -- married -- no matter where they are living, traveling, or divorcing," said Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry, another group that campaigns for marriage equality.

"But gay couples experience a patchwork of respect, uncertainty and discrimination, depending on where they are," he said.

"That's why all couples should have -- the freedom to marry and divorce no matter where they live or find themselves."

source: interaksyon.com

Tokyo Disney Resort eases rules on same-sex weddings

TOKYO — Just days after U.S. President Barack Obama came out in favor of gay marriage, another supporter of same-sex unions has emerged in Japan: Mickey Mouse.

Despite their having no legal status, same-sex couples are able to hold fairytale wedding ceremonies at hotels inside the popular Tokyo Disney Resort, including at the Cinderella Castle, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.

News of the unions came to light when Koyuki Higashi, 27, inquired about marrying her female partner at the resort.

A member of staff who answered the call said there would be no problem with their marrying, provided they dressed “like a man and a woman,” Higashi wrote on her blog.

The staff member explained a same-sex wedding would create “repercussions” among visitors to the park if both brides were wearing wedding dresses or both grooms wore tuxedoes, the blog added.

However, a few days later, the resort operator got back in touch to say their initial response had been wrong and gay couples were free to mix and match their attire.

“We have never refused an application for a same-sex wedding at hotels here,” a spokeswoman at Milial Resort Hotels, a subsidiary of Tokyo Disney Resort, told AFP on Tuesday.

“One of our staff members was mistaken when explaining about outfits for a same-sex wedding,” she said.

But she added gay and lesbian couples were not allowed to exchange marriage vows at the onsite chapel “because of Christian teaching.”

Higashi and her bride-to-be, identified on the blog only as Hiroko, have now visited Tokyo Disneyland, where they met Mickey Mouse to give him the good news.

“Mickey first looked surprised to hear that we are a ‘couple of girls,’” Higashi wrote. “But we said we were there to thank him because same-sex weddings can be held at the Disney Resort, and he celebrated with us.”

It is not known if Higashi and her partner will go ahead with a wedding at the Cinderella Castle, which costs 7.5 million yen.

Homosexuality in Japan is widely accepted but not openly discussed.

While gays and lesbians are unlikely to encounter outright hostility, there are few rights built into law for same-sex couples and there is little public debate on gay marriage.

source: japantoday.com

'Smash' producers get top award by US gay media group

NEW YORK - The producers of the new TV musical drama series "Smash" were honored by gay and lesbian watchdog group GLAAD at a gala on Saturday that highlighted gay marriage and bullying.

Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, film and television producers known for such movies as the Oscar-winning "Chicago," and "Hairspray" were honored at New York's Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, Media Awards.

The awards, hosted by Cory Montieth and Naya Rivera from the hit TV musical show "Glee," recognize the best portrayals of gay community members in film, television, radio, music, newspapers and blogs.

GLAAD honored the efforts of Meron and Zadan on "Smash," the program about a Broadway show that features a healthy gay relationship, as well as several of the pair's previous efforts, including the television movie "Serving in Silence."

In accepting the top award named after gay activist Vito Russo, the producers noted they had received death threats for their controversial 2003 miniseries, "The Reagans," which argued that former U.S. President Ronald Reagan failed to recognize the AIDS crisis.

Zadan said being gay was "part of who I am, so it impacts the work that we do," while Meron said the pair had spent years trying to "fight, persuade and manipulate" the entertainment industry to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters and stories.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein presented openly gay high school student Katy Butler a special award in recognition of her anti-bullying efforts, while outstanding TV segment was awarded to "ABC World News with Diane Sawyer" for "Battle Against Bullying."

The 2011 indie film, "Pariah," about a black teenager living in Brooklyn, New York, who embraces her identity as a lesbian, won outstanding film in limited release, and HBO's "Cinema Verite" took home the best TV movie or miniseries award.

TV's "Dancing With The Stars" won outstanding reality TV program for featuring contestant Chaz Bono, the transgender child of singers Cher and Sonny Bono, who completed a female-to-male sex change in 2010.

Pop Star Lady Gaga, who did not attend the awards, won outstanding music artist for her album "Born This Way." Best talk-show episode went to Oprah Winfrey's program for the episode "Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests."

Playwright Tony Kushner won the theater award for his play "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures."

Among other media winners were CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360", Metro Weekly, The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Advocate.

GLAAD, which promotes positive images of LGBT people in the media, will present additional media awards in Los Angeles on April 21 and San Francisco on June 2. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com