Italy: Court appeal hopes to ban a child having two legal mothers

An appeal has been filed in Turin attempting to overturn a 2014 result which allowed two women to be parents of one child. The ‘double motherhood’ was described as: ‘A violation of the fundamental principles of our legal system’ in the appeal.

The two women, one Italian and the other Spanish, were married and then divorced in Barcelona. While in Spain, they were legally recognized as a family, and both mothers may share in the concerns of the child. However in Italy they had to be reapply to be recognized as a family: a kind of recognition the Italian courts weren’t prepared to give. The Italian mother applied for and was successful at making both her and her ex-spouse mothers of the child, who was born in 2011 and conceived through artificial insemination.

Attorney General Marcello Maddalena, who signed the appeal, said the child violates the ‘fundamental’ idea that offspring should come from people of different sexes. ‘The ban on assisted procreation techniques for people of the same sex is [in the interest of] the public order,’ he wrote in the appeal. 

Read More via Gay Star News
 

Australia: Anti same-sex marriage group warns of 'Dad-less' kids risk

An Australian anti same-sex marriage group has marked Father's Day by releasing a video warning of the dangers of children growing up without Dads. The Marriage Alliance commercial uses American statistics to back its claims that children without fathers are more likely to drop out of school, run away from home, be involved in crime and end up in prison.

Spokeswoman Sophie York said same-sex couples were deliberately denying children their fundamental right to have a male and female role model. While the video did not mention divorce, death and other circumstances that might result in a child growing up without a father, Marriage Alliance said in its statement it did acknowledge those factors.

"But deliberately putting a child into fatherless parental arrangement as occurs with a same-sex relationship or a legalised same-sex marriage means putting that child at extreme risk," it said. "It legitimises an increase in fatherless kids." Read More via Sydney Morning Herald

Denmark: First transgender couple married in the Danish National Church

Isabel Storm and Cecilia Mundt will be the first transsexual couple ever to be married in a Danish National Church. They say in a interview with DR news: "It is important to us that we get married in a church and not by the mayor at city hall. We love each other and it is wonderful that the Danish Church accepts that".

The priest, Henrik Fuglsang-Damgaard, at Sct. Bendts church is happy to be the first priest ever to marry a transsexual couple: "I think it is a nice decision that they want to follow their heart, and are not afraid of showing God and people around them that they stick together. I believe that God it happy about Cecilia and Isabel found each other." Read More via DR.dk 

Kim Davis Needs to Read the Bible Again

Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, returns to her post soon, after spending five nights in jail and then a few more days recovering at home. A Pentecostal Christian, Davis says “God’s authority” instructs her not to issue licenses for gay marriage, even though the law compels her to. Presidential contenders, including Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, both fundamentalists, have praised her stance.

It’s undeniable that the earliest scripture books, the ones Christians call the Pentateuch and Jews call the Torah, don’t like same-sex relations. At the Garden of Eden, God decrees that a man will be the husband and a woman the wife. (See the second and third chapters of Genesis, ideally a scholarly translation such as the New Revised Standard; this article cites the N.R.S.V.) In Leviticus 18:22, the text states, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” In 20:13, Leviticus specifies that both parties in male-male sex shall “be put to death.” 

 Read More via The New Yorker
 

That seems open-and-shut, though one might wonder why Davis, Cruz, Huckabee and the like seek only to deny gays marriage, rather than execute them as God decreed.

US: Kentucky clerk Kim Davis may have invalidated marriage license forms, deputy clerk says

Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, returned to her post after spending five nights in jail. A Pentecostal Christian, Davis says “God’s authority” instructs her not to issue licenses for gay marriage, even though the law compels her to. Presidential contenders, including Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, both fundamentalists, have praised her stance.

Brian Mason, deputy for Davis is worried he's been issuing invalid marriage licenses, according to papers filed in federal court. Davis  has replaced the original marriage license forms with forms that don't carry her name, the name of the county or any reference to a clerk or deputy clerk, said Mason's lawyer, Richard Hughes. Hughes said: "Mr. Mason's concern is he does not want to be the party that is issuing invalid marriage licenses"

"It also appears to this counsel those change were made in some attempt to circumvent the court's orders and may have raised to the level of interference against court's orders," Hughes said.

Lawyers for the couples who received altered licenses have now filed a motion asking for unaltered marriage licenses. Read More via Salon

Italy: Prime Minister wants a vote on civil union bill by October

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he hopes to get a long-stalled civil union bill through parliament in October. Renzi vowed early in his term to get make civil unions legal under Italian law before the start of 2014, but the bill stalled in the face of stiff opposition. Renzi was cautious with his new timeline in remarks quoted by ANSA.

Renzi outlined his new timeline as the bill’s lead author, Senator Monica Cirinnà announced a deal with conservative members of the Justice Committee to allow an amendment adding language designed to emphasize that civil unions were not considered equivalent with marriage between a man and a woman.

Opposition from Catholic leaders has helped keep the bill on ice despite the fact that 75% of Italians favored some form of partnership rights for same-sex couples and nearly half backed full marriage equality in a BuzzFeed News/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this year.   Read More via Buzzfeed

Italy: Mayor proposes tax on homosexuals

Joe Formaggio, the ultra-conservative Mayor in Albettone, a town in the province of Vicenza, recently made national headlines with his newest proposal: a tax on homosexuals.

His reasoning is simple: “Gay people don’t have sons, so they have to compensate for the future lower tax income.” He added that the new tax should help “normal families” like his. He has three children. Some historians were reminded of a similar law, the celibacy tax, which was in effect during the Fascist era between 1927 and 1943 to encourage more births.

As strange as it may seem, his proposals have actually received some local support. Read More via Lettera43

Burundi: New measures restricting the freedoms of organization

After the formation of his government, the President of the Republic His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza in his speech to the nation announced new reforms. In these reforms, the President particularly noted the establishment of a Commission for national and international NGOs.

"We will examine in depth how to put feet on a commission of national and international NGOs, approve and monitor how they are doing their job: it is shown that a disorder exists in these organizations. The Commission will monitor the achievements of these NGOs to their contribution to the development of the country is more visible and increases in accordance with new regulatory provisions that will be defined soon."

Although these measures will affect all NGOs working in Burundi in general, organizations working on LGBTI theme will be affected in particular. At present, no identity LGBTI organization has been registered despite multiple attempts. The reforms announced by the President of the Republic may destroy the efforts and advocacy work already undertaken since 2009 by LGBTI organizations in Burundi. Read More via Mouvement pour les Libertés Individuelles 

Uganda: Parliament to take up bill that could re-criminalize LGBT rights work

Ugandan lawmakers are due to take up legislation in an emergency session that could achieve one of the key goals of the sweeping anti-LGBT legislation struck down by the country’s Constitutional Court in 2014: the criminalization of groups supporting LGBT rights.

The proposal, known as the NGO bill, is about much broader issues than LGBT rights. It would expand the power of the government’s current NGO Board, allowing it to ban non-governmental organizations for essentially any reason, including when a group’s goals are “in contravention of the law” or if it is “in the public interest to refuse to register the organization.” Any organization that doesn’t register, which is how many LGBT groups currently operate in Uganda, would be considered illegal.

“There is absolutely no doubt that a significant part of the NGO bill seeks to reintroduce in part the things that were in the Anti-Homosexuality Act,” said Nicholas Opiyo, the lawyer who made the winning argument that got the law struck down last August. Cissy Kagaba, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Coalition of Uganda, said “We are approaching elections and government is concerned about our ability to mobilize and influence the masses against corruption and related other related evils that the government is engaged in.” If the bill passes, she warns, “[w]ithin in 6 months we shall cease to exist”  Read More via Buzzfeed

Europe: Parliament strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s suppression LGBTI people

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, in which it denounces the intimidation and repression of LGBTI people, as well as those defending their rights. The overall human rights situation in Azerbaijan has deteriorated continuously over the last few years, with many independent journalists and civil society leaders now imprisoned without appropriate access to healthcare. Those not imprisoned, are often subjected to intimidation and harassment. Independent LGBTI activists had to flee the country for fear of persecution.

Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Co-President of the Intergroup on LGBTIRights, reacted: “Over the last year, at least 3 LGBTI persons were killed with trans-/homophobic motives, which is unfortunately no wonder in a context where inflammatory speech against LGBTI people comes from the highest levels, including politicians.”

Tanja Fajon MEP and Kati Piri MEP, Vice-President and Member of the Intergroup on LGBTI Rights, continued: “We call on the High Representative, the Commission and the Council to address this at the highest possible level, including through the human rights dialogue and a stop of the negotiations on the Strategic Partnership Agreement with Azerbaijan if things do not improve.”   Read More via European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights

Russia: Putin awards anti-gay crusader Milonov medal for diligent work

President Vladimir Putin has awarded the Deputy of St. Petersburg legislative Assembly Vitaly Milonov the medal of the order "For merits before Fatherland" II degree for his legislative activity and many years of diligent work. Medal of the order "For merits before Fatherland" is awarded for "implementation specific and useful for the country's Affairs" and "a great contribution to the protection of the Fatherland."

Known for provocative initiatives and statements, Milonov offered an uncharacteristic apology for his “rude” statements while in the same radio interview referring to liberals as “dogs” and an LGBT rights activist as “non-human.”

Offering more of his trademark comments, Milonov said he would like to become head of a Russian region that he would name “Spiritual Constantinople,” — a region without alcoholics or LGBT people, Govorit Moskva said Thursday in a separate report.

“We would create a model region: There would be not a single prostitute, not a single drug addict, all alcoholics would be in [treatment facilities] LTPs, we would have 'vice police' units operating, [there would be] not a single gay person,” Govorit Moskva quoted him as saying. “It would be the ideal region.” Read More via Moscow Times

Malaysia: Love is not terrorism, Najib

What possible connection can there be between a woman who loves another woman and the brutal extremist armed group that calls itself Islamic State (also known as Isis)?

Well, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, they both pose direct threats to the “moderation” that his vision of Islam advances. At an international seminar in Bangi, local media reports say, Najib asserted that extremist armed groups and sexual and gender minorities both pose a threat to Malaysian society.

"Groups like the Islamic State and lesbians, gay, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT) both target the younger generation,” he said, “and seem successful in influencing certain groups in society.”

Dr Teh Yik Koon, a Malaysian scholar who has extensively researched the situation of transgender people in Malaysia, told Human Rights Watch, “People rely on the government to tell them what’s right and wrong—especially when it comes to [what is perceived as] a religious question.” This is not the first time Najib has attempted to scapegoat LGBT people. Read More via Human Rights Watch