Greek parliament OKs civil union for same-sex couples

ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's parliament early on Wednesday approved a bill granting same-sex couples the right to a civil union, despite strong opposition from the influential Orthodox church.

The law was supported by 193 lawmakers out of 249 present, with 56 voting against it.

"This is an important day for human rights," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the chamber.

Tsipras said the bill gives same-sex couples "equal rights in life and death," terminating a practice of "backwardness and shame" for Greece.

The new law resolves property and inheritance issues, but makes no provision for the adoption of children.

Amnesty International hailed the move as a "historic step" but noted that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons still faced hostility in Greece.

"Despite this first step, LGBTI people in Greece still live in a climate of hostility from which the authorities are failing to protect them adequately," said Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

"Physical attacks are on the rise, hate speech is common and goes unchecked by the authorities. Even displays of affection between same-sex couples are censored on television," van Gulik added.

Amnesty further pointed out that the law offers no gender recognition to transgender people.

Greece had been condemned for anti-gay discrimination by the European Court of Human Rights in 2013, after gay couples were explicitly excluded from a prior civil unions law in 2008.

"Instead of celebrating this, we should apologize to thousands of our fellow citizens," Tsipras said.

In addition to Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party, the bill was supported by another four parties.

However the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL), who are part of the governing coalition, voted against the motion.

"The Greek constitution protects motherhood. Is there motherhood in men?" asked ANEL lawmaker Vassilis Kokkalis.

Members of the Greek gay, lesbian and transsexual community had earlier staged protests outside parliament and the Athens cathedral.

"Love is not a sin," read a sign held by protesters as two young men dressed like priests kissed in front of the cathedral.

Greece was until now one of the last European countries where same-sex couples could not receive some kind of official recognition for their relationship.

The country's first two same-sex civil marriages held in 2008 were annulled by a court a year later under pressure from the Greek Orthodox Church, which officially frowns upon same-sex relations.

Lobbying by the church was also instrumental in excluding same-sex couples from benefitting from the 2008 civil union bill which modernized family law and aligned national law with EU rules.

A prominent Greek bishop this week described homosexuality as a "crime" and said "accursed" gays should be "spat upon."

source: interaksyon.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

Colombia's high court allows adoption by same-sex couples

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's highest court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples can adopt children, lifting the last restriction on gays raising kids.

Until now, such adoptions were allowed in this traditionally Roman Catholic country only if one of the partners in the couple was already the child's biological parent.

Even that limited right was established only as recently as February.

The restriction was swept away by the new ruling at the Constitutional Court by a vote of 6-2 after hours of debate.

It said gay couples can adopt children just as heterosexual ones can, so long as they meet all the legal requirements.

"A person's sexual orientation or gender are not in and of themselves indicative of a lack of moral, physical or mental suitability to adopt," chief justice Maria Victoria Calle Correa told a news conference after the court announced its decision.

The Constitutional Court has slowly expanded the list of rights accorded to homosexual couples in this socially conservative country in recent years.

In 2007, it recognized de facto unions for gay couples and granted them joint health insurance coverage.

In 2008, it granted them shared pension rights, and in 2009 it ruled they were also entitled to inheritance rights.

source: interaksyon.com

Australian state bans schools from showing gay film during class hours

SYDNEY, Australia -- A film about children with same-sex parents has been barred from being shown in public schools throughout Australia's most populous state, despite the documentary makers Thursday insisting students will benefit.

"Gayby Baby," which chronicles four children growing up with gay parents, was due to be shown in high schools in New South Wales as part of the student-led Wear it Purple initiative on Friday, which promotes diversity and inclusiveness.

But after front-page coverage in the Sydney Daily Telegraph this week, state Education Minister Andrew Piccoli pulled the plug, at least in school hours.

"I have directed the Department of Education to ensure the film is not shown during school hours," he said, in a move backed by state Premier Mike Baird.

"I understand the intent of that is to provide an example of tolerance and that's something I absolutely support," Baird told reporters.

"Should it be in class time? No, I don't think so. Should it be optional? Yes, I do think so."

The Telegraph reported some parents were angry their daughters had to watch the film, rated PG, or not recommended for under 15 years, but the documentary's director Maya Newell, a former student at one of the schools due to screen it, said the reaction was overblown.

"We firmly believe our film has positive benefits for all students and we're committed to supporting the schools who are celebrating Wear it Purple Day," she said on Facebook.

"Creating inclusive classroom and valuing family diversity promotes student wellbeing and acceptance of difference.

"There is no place for bullying, homophobia or discrimination in Australian public schools."

The largely crowd-funded film, which had two sold-out screenings at the Sydney Film Festival this year, is due to open in cinemas next week.

Wear it Purple Day founder Katherine Hudson told the Sydney Morning Herald she could understand the film being banned if it showed "grotesque sex scenes or violence."

"But this is a film about families. Even for conservatives, this stuff would be easy to swallow," she said.

Earlier this month, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage was introduced into the Australian parliament.

But it is doomed to fail, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government opposed to any changes despite growing support for marriage equality.

Same-sex couples can have civil unions or register their relationships in most states across Australia, but the government does not consider them married under national law.

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

Same-sex couples sue Florida for right to wed

MIAMI -- Six same-sex couples filed suit against the US state of Florida Tuesday for refusing to let them marry.

The suit, filed in Miami-Dade county by the couples and the rights group Equality Florida, was immediately slammed by conservatives.

"Marriage equality is inevitable and coming soon for Floridians because brave couples are demanding the dignity under the law that marriage provides," said Daniel Tilley, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.



"We are hopeful that the court hearing this case will agree with courts across the country that the constitution requires that same-sex couples be permitted to marry," he added.

But John Stemberger, who heads the conservative Florida Family Policy Council and led the 2008 referendum movement against same-sex marriage in the state, called the new lawsuit a publicity stunt.

Following the referendum, Florida's constitution was amended to bar same-sex marriage.

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

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

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

Same-sex couples may now apply for green card residency permits in the US

WASHINGTON--The US government has announced that married same-sex couples may now apply for "green card" residency permits just as heterosexual married couples can, in the latest move to end discrimination against gay unions.

Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano announced the move Monday. It stems from last week's landmark Supreme Court ruling that extends federal rights and benefits to gay couples who wed in states that recognize such unions.

After the court ruling, President Barack Obama directed federal agencies to ensure it is implemented smoothly, Napolitano said in a statement.

She added: "I have directed US Citizenship and Immigration Services ((USCIS) to review immigration petitions filed on behalf of a same-sex spouse in the same manner as those filed on behalf of an opposite-sex spouse."

One such petition by a gay couple married in New York was approved immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling.

It was a race against the clock for the two men because the non-US resident among them, an undocumented alien from Colombia, was on the verge of being deported by an immigration court.

The judge in that case acknowledged the landmark nature of the Colombian's status in the face of the now-overturned Defense of Marriage Act, said attorney Lavi Soloway, co-founder of the DOMA Project, which has been defending 70 couples in similar situations.

"She understood the meaning of the case, and that meant that the couple before them was the first married same-sex couple in the United States that would be viewed as a married couple by a federal government agency," Soloway said.

Twelve states and the capital city Washington, D.C. allow gay marriage. After a second Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, California resumed recognizing same-sex marriage.

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

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