The long-awaited bill has gained the approval of the Cabinet, and now passes to the Parliament where it will be voted on. The bill gives couples in civil partnerships all the benefits of marriage – with the exception of joint adoption.
Advocacy group Accept-LGBT Cyprus said: “The government is living up to its promises, taking the first step towards modernising the state’s institutions." Read More
Kaohsiung is to become the nation’s first city to recognize same-sex partnership, albeit not in legal terms, as same-sex couples who are Kaohsiung residents can register their partnership at the city’s household registration offices.
Kaohsiung Civil Affairs Bureau Director-General Tseng Tzu-wen (曾姿雯) said that in the spirit of respect and good will, the city would unblock the city’s household registration and conscription system to allow same-sex partnerships a place within the system.
The city’s move is symbolic rather than legal, as civil law stipulates that only a man and a woman can lawfully marry, she said, adding that the administrative recognition is to allow same-sex couples a degree of psychological comfort before any amendment to civil law, she said. Dubbed the “sunlight registration,” the same-sex partnership registration is a non-binding statement that enjoys no legal status of any sort in terms of civil law. Read More
When historians write about the global LGBT rights movement, they will probably divide their timeline into “Before Ireland” and “After Ireland.”
Before Ireland, a country whose sodomy law wasn’t struck down until 1993, the goal of changing a nation’s mind about LGBT rights seemed daunting if not impossible. After Ireland, it seems like it may just be a matter of time even in countries where public support for LGBT equality remains very low and where powerful religious institutions are vocally opposed. Read More
Father Martin Dolan faced a difficult decision. With Ireland’s referendum on marriage equality looming, he could either go along with his bishops’ official opposition to it, or he could be honest with his Dublin congregation. He made his choice during a Saturday evening mass in January. Not only did he urge his congregation to vote Yes on May 22, he also took the opportunity to come out as gay.
The worshipers greeted the revelation with a standing ovation. Dolan is one of at least 10 members of Catholic orders who have publicly endorsed marriage equality. Read More
Ireland has officially passed the same-sex marriage referendum with 1.2 million people voting in its favour. The result was confirmed just before 7pm on Saturday although the result was clear from very early in the count. The Yes vote prevailed by 62 to 38 per cent with a large 60.5 per cent turnout. In total, 1,201,607 people voted in favour with 734,300 against, giving a majority of 467,307. The total valid poll was 1,935,907.
As the result emerged on Saturday afternoon thousands of people gathered in the courtyard of Dublin Castle amid scenes of widespread jubilation.
Senior politicians welcomed the result, with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar saying the overwhelming Yes vote makes Ireland a “beacon of light” for the rest of the world in terms of liberty and equality.
“It’s a historical day for Ireland,” he told RTÉ, a “social revolution”, adding that had any constituencies voted No, it would only have been a handful. In the end there was just one. Mr Varadkar revealed publicly during the referendum campaign that he was gay.
The eyes of the world have been trained on Ireland with the story featuring prominently in international media throughout the weekend. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the referendum turnout showed the “palpable movement” of people wanting to be involved.
He particularly noted how young people had travelled around the country to “to put a single mark” on a ballot paper, demonstrating the value of the issue at hand. Paul Moran of Millward Brown told RTÉ voter turnout had proved vital and that youth had driven the result, if not entirely deciding it. Social media has played a central role, he said.
Ecuadorian lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill that seeks to amend the country’s civil code and would allow for the legal recognition of civil unions in the South American country.
El Comercio, an Ecuadorian newspaper, reported the measure would allow LGBT couples to receive “the same rights and obligations of a marriage” in terms of pensions, purchasing a home together and other benefits. It would also eliminate the requirement that couples must wait two years before entering into a civil union and demonstrate that they had lived together during this period. The proposal would also apply to unmarried straight couples.
“It is a major achievement,” Diane Rodríguez, president of Silueta X Association, an Ecuadorian LGBT advocacy group, said after the vote. Read More
A lesbian couple held a symbolic wedding ceremony in Tokyo on Sunday, as calls grow for Japan to legalise same-sex marriage. While their marriage will not be recognised under law, actresses Ayaka Ichinose, 34, and Akane Sugimori, 28 - both dressed in white - tied the knot in front of some 80 relatives and friends.
"We held the wedding ceremony so that it might become easier for others to do the same in the future," Sugimori told press afterwards. Last month, a Tokyo council voted to issue "partnership" certificates to gay couples, the first such recognition of same-sex unions in Japan. Other municipalities are now considering doing the same.
While Japan is largely tolerant of homosexuality, there is no specific legal protection for gay people, who complain that they may be prevented from visiting sick loved ones in hospitals because their relationship is not recognised. Read More
More than 17,000 people have added their name to an online petition calling for a referendum on gay marriage after Martin McGuinness proposed a referendum to settle the vexed issue of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
Earlier this week, a proposal in the Northern Ireland Assembly to have gay marriage legalised in Northern Ireland was rejected. Monday marked the fourth time the divisive issue has been defeated at the Stormont Assembly and came hours after under-pressure DUP health minister Jim Wells resigned amid controversy over remarks about same sex relationships. Read More
After camping out for days, the scene was raucous outside the columned, white marble edifice, with the combined crowd from both sides of the issue estimated at more than a thousand gathered for the court's historic arguments on whether the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Read More
The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in Obergefell v. Hodges, a case that could determine whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. Justices appear to be divided, with Justice Anthony Kennedy returning to a familiar role as the court's pivotal vote. Speculation is that the case will come down to a 5-4 decision in favor of same-sex couples’ marriage rights. The court scheduled an extraordinary 2 1/2 hours of argument over the case and a decision is expected to come this June.
Media coverage of the case has been equally split with some heralding success for marriage equality and others cautioning that the court remains divided.
"I think it went really well," said Marc Solomon, national campaign director for the group Freedom to Marry. "What's so clear to me is how completely bankrupt our opponent's arguments are." Meanwhile opponents of same-sex marriage were buoyed because they believed the judges seemed skeptical of "redefining marriage."
Marriage Equality Arguments First Reaction: Ginsburg Strikes, Kennedy Wavers
Hear/Read excerpts from the case
The Director of the Women and Children Crisis Centre Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki says since last month's cabinet announcement that the UN convention would be ratified there has been huge debate in the community. Church and community leaders have come out against the move over the concern that CEDAW would lead to same sex marriage and abortions in the country as CEDAW refers to the right for a woman to choose her spouse and family planning.
But the chief executive of Internal Affairs Lopeti Senituli says the government is planning law changes to satisfy the church leaders. "Under our existing Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act there is no specific reference for or against same sex marriage. The government is proposing now that we amend our Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act to prohibit same sex marriage." Read More
A new law in Malawi that raises the minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18 is great for women and girls, but terrible for the country’s LGBT community. The law defines all marriages, unions and cohabitation arrangements as being between a man and a woman -- and excludes LGBT people from legal protections.