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

George Michael: From closeted life to gay rights advocate

LONDON | Pop superstar George Michael concealed his homosexuality, as well as the trauma of his boyfriend’s death, for years but later became a gay rights advocate and key supporter of HIV campaigns.

Michael, who died Sunday at 53, only came out as gay in 1998 — nearly two decades into his career — after being caught by police in a “lewd act” in a public bathroom in a park in Los Angeles.

His sexuality was by then an open secret in show business but Michael said he did not go public so as not to worry his mother because of fears about the AIDS virus in the gay community at the time.

“Understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was a predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early 1990s as far as any parent was concerned,” he told BBC Radio in an interview in 2007.

“My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to,” explained Michael.

Initially confused about his sexuality, Michael said he realized he was gay by the end of the 1980s.

‘FEARFUL PERIOD TO BE GAY’

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that concern for his mother may not have been the only reason Michael chose not to come out.

“Back then, the red tops were vicious to gay public figures,” he said, referring to popular tabloid papers like the News of the World and The Sun.

“They were vilified and smeared. Being gay was portrayed as a scandal and shame.”

Tatchell said the explosion of AIDS led to a sharp rise in homophobic public attitudes.

“Gay-bashings and murders rocketed. It was a fearful period to be gay, let alone a gay public figure.

“I wish George had come out then. He could have helped counter that tide of prejudice. But I understand why he didn’t,” he said.

FIRST LOVE

At a concert in Rio de Janeiro in 1991, Michael met Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian dress designer who became his first love.

“It’s very hard to be proud of your sexuality when it hasn’t given you any joy, but once you have found somebody you really love it’s not so tough,” Michael told the Huffington Post in an interview.

Six months into the relationship, they discovered Feleppa was HIV-positive — a devastating blow for Michael.

“I couldn’t go through it with my family because I didn’t know how to share it with them –- they didn’t even know I was gay,” he said.

Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage in 1993.

Whenever performing the single “Jesus To A Child” from the album “Older” (1996), Michael dedicated it to Feleppa and the singer later said the entire album was a tribute to his late partner.

“Heaven sent/ And Heaven stole/ You smiled at me/ Like Jesus to a child,” Michael sings.

‘LIVE ON IN THE HEARTS’

Michael later told the BBC his arrest in 1998 may have been “a subconsciously deliberate act” to out himself and said he wished he had gone public sooner.

“I don’t think I would have had the same career –- my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas –- but I think I would have been a happier man,” he said.

The same year that he came out as gay, Michael began his public activism by helping with a documentary about six young people affected by the HIV virus to coincide with World Aids Day.

As part of his philanthropy — much of it under the radar — he was also a major supporter of the Terrence Higgins Trust, a British HIV charity.

“His donations contributed to a vision of a world where people living with HIV live healthy lives free from prejudice and discrimination,” the charity said in a Facebook post on Monday.

The gay rights group Stonewall said on Twitter: “You inspired many and your music will live on in the hearts of the community. You will be sorely missed”.

source: interaksyon.com

Respecting gay rights is good for business, firms say

LONDON -- Respecting gay and lesbian rights is good for business and helps drive economic growth, a group of 14 leading Western companies including Google, American Express and McKinsey&Company said on Tuesday.

The companies said supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights around the world helped drive economic development and allowed such companies to attract and retain the smartest employees.

"If countries and cities want to have economic development, they have to rise to a level of tolerance that enables them to have the kind of diverse dialogue that creates innovation," Claudia Brind-Woody, managing director for Global Intellectual Property Licensing at IBM, said in a statement.

The other companies which supported the report were AT&T, Brunswick, EY, IBM , LinkedIn , law firm Linklaters, MasterCard, Royal Bank of Scotland , Standard Chartered, Thomson Reuters and Virgin Group.

source: interaksyon.com

Russian police seize painting showing Putin, Medvedev in lingerie

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Police seized a painting of Russia's president and prime minister in women's underwear from a gallery in St Petersburg, saying the satirical display had broken unspecified laws.

The officers also removed a picture of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, his torso covered in tattoos, and two others poking fun at lawmakers who have backed legislation banning so-called gay propaganda, gallery staff said.

The police service said it had taken paintings from the "Museum of Power" gallery -- based in two rooms of a flat -- late on Monday after receiving reports they were illegal.

It gave no further detail but Russia does have a law against insulting authorities -- an offense that carries a maximum one-year prison term.

One painting showed President Vladimir Putin wearing a tight-fitting slip and brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is wearing knickers and a bra.

St Petersburg deputy Vitaly Mironov, whose face was combined with the gay rights movement's rainbow flag in one of the paintings, told Reuters the images were inappropriate and "of a distinctly pornographic character".

St Petersburg, which next week hosts world leaders at a G20 summit, was one of the first Russian cities to introduce a law banning the spread of "gay propaganda."

The Russian parliament has also adopted similar legislation, prompting protests from abroad and calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics which Russia will host in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in February.

Gallery owner Alexander Donskoy said the officers had also shut down his establishment and gave him no explanation for the removal of paintings from the exhibition, titled "Leaders."

"This is an (illegal) seizure," he told Reuters. "We have been given no formal documents banning us from operating and no receipt confirming our petty cash was seized."

source: interaksyon.com

Mass ceremony in Rio celebrates same-sex unions

RIO DE JANEIRO - Nearly a hundred same-sex couples in Rio de Janeiro legalized their unions -- to a status just shy of marriage in the Latin American country -- in a group ceremony Sunday, local media reported.

The 92 couples pledged themselves to "stable unions," though the G1 web site noted the ceremony was mainly symbolic, as they will have to repeat their vows Monday in front of a judge.

Held at the Rio courthouse, the mass celebration "pays an old debt with a segment of the population that is the target of so much prejudice and discrimination," Claudio Nascimento, head of a Rio gay rights group, told the site.

In May 2011, the Brazilian Supreme Court recognized the "stable union" of same-sex couples as a family. Since then, several courts have recognized such unions as civil marriage.

source: interaksyon.com

Google celebrates gay pride with Easter egg

Internet giant Google marked Gay Pride with one of its Easter eggs: a rainbow ribbon that appears below the search bar.

The rainbow appears when a user types "Google Gay Pride," "LGBT," "gay," "lesbian," "NYC Gay Pride" and "SF Gay Pride," tech site Mashable said.

Mashable said Google has a history creating "whimsical" Easter eggs, often hidden in its search function.

It added Google is also known for its pro-gay rights stance.

Recently, Google publicly expressed its opposition to California’s Prop. 8, a constitutional amendment that took away the right of same-sex couples to marry, in a 2008 blog post written by co-founder Sergey Brin.

"While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 — we should not eliminate anyone’s fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love,” it quoted Brin as saying. — TJD, GMA News

article source: gmanetwork.com