All the latest breaking news on gay and same-sex marriage. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features, articles and updates on gay and same-sex marriage.
The people of Austraila has voted – and the resounding answer is yes to marriage between same-sex couples.
The vote, which was non-binding, showed that 61.6% of people voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to wed, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.
However, as the vote is non-binding it will have to be debated by politicians before becoming law. The Country’s Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull said that he was aiming pass the legislation in Parliament by Christmas.
He said, “[Australians] have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality,
“They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love.”
In neighbouring New Zealand, gay marriage was legalised in 2013, it was the 13th country in the world to allow marriage between two people of the same sex.
CONGRATULATIONS
Numerous stars and high profile organisations reacted to the news by praising Australia for their choice. Leading the congratulatory messages was gay icon, Kylie Minogue, who has long advocated for same-sex marriage.
Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay people, is seeking re-election as a county clerk.
During 2015, Kim Davies, 52 stubbornly refused to issues marriage permits to gay couples in her state of Kentucky. It’s now come to light that she is running for re-election – despite her jail time. Five couples sued her and a judge even ordered her to issue the licenses.
She assumed the office in 2015 after filing as a Democrat candidate for county clerk. She narrowly won the vote with 53.2 percent of the vote. She has now moved from being a Democrat to a Republican.
According to Fox News, Mat Staver, the founder of the law firm who represents Davis said, “She loves her job and she loves the people,”
“I’m sure (the election) will probably have more attention because of who she is, but you know she doesn’t have any major concerns about it.”
After her release from jail, Davis modified marriage licenses so that her name would not be included. The state legislature changed the law soon after so that clerks do not have to sign their names on licenses.
The Archbishop of Sydney has said that religious believers could lose their jobs if same-sex marriage is legalised in Australia. If these religious believers are acting bigoted or being narrow-minded, then quite frankly, they don’t deserve to keep their jobs.
He told worshippers that the government should “keep out of the friendship business and out of the bedroom.” Maybe he should take his own advice and keep out of the situation also. What right does being the Archbishop give him to interfere in friendship and bedroom matters?
“The state has no business telling us who we should love and how, sexually or otherwise.” In his arrogance, he is, ironically, showing support of same-sex marriage. Thank you for that Archbishop. For once, we might actually agree on a point. No one should play God and tell anyone who they can love or marry. Pun intended. The fact we still need to vote on such matters is a disgrace in itself.
This delightful human being carried on saying that it’s best for children to have a mother and a father. So Archbishop, what about the poor children who have been bought up in a single parent family because one parent died? Or the awful stories we hear of children being sexually abused by their mother and father?
I’m no genius, but that is clearly not best for children. Issues in our society are not so black and white. It’s not a simple case of stating children should have heterosexual parents, one being a woman and one being a man.
In my eyes, it’s best for children to have a role model who cares for them and loves them unconditionally and teaches them right from wrong. This could be a single parent or a mother and father or a mother and mother or a father and father.
He continued in his arrogant preaching by saying if marriage is redefined, it will be very hard to speak up for real marriage anymore. What is real marriage, Archbishop? Beg my pardon for my simplistic views, but I thought marriage was the joining of two people who love each other whilst committing themselves, for richer, poorer, in sickness and in health etc.
He said the vote had implications for religious freedom. This is actually so angering because the vote actually has massive implications for human freedom. The freedom for people to marry who they want to marry.
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A new analysis undertaken by Melbourne-based LGBT rights activist, Tony Pitman, has revealed that just over 1.1 billion people now live in countries with marriage equality. This figure represents 15 percent of the entire world population and is expected to rise over coming months as Taiwan and several other countries join the list.
“I first started doing these calculations in mid-2013,” said Tony. “Back then, the number was 600 million. Today’s it’s 1.1 billion. That’s an increase of half a billion people in just four years. Never before has the world seen a positive social change of such speed and magnitude. It’s extraordinary! And it’s definitely something to keep in mind during the current debate here in Australia.”
Australia is in the middle of a two-month postal survey on whether to introduce marriage equality or not, a process that’s been marred by a series of overwrought scare campaigns from the “No” side.
Optimistic for change
However, despite the ugliness of the debate, Tony is optimistic. “I think these numbers give heart to everyone who’s concerned about achieving equality in Australia,” he commented. “They show that the debate here is part of an unstoppable movement that’s sweeping the world. There’s no doubt that marriage equality is inevitable in Australia. It’s just a question of when, not if.”
“It’s clear that a win for the “No” vote would only serve to delay equality by a couple of years at the most,” added Tony. “All those hundreds of millions of dollars will have been spent just to buy a little more time for an unjust law. It’s an obscene waste of time, money and resources.”
“The truth is that when a same-sex couple gets married, their happiness is increased, and no one else is affected in any way. It’s a simple reform that brings only positive outcomes. That’s the reason why it’s spreading around the world so rapidly. It’s a win for everyone. And it will eventually be a win for Australia too.”
The ever controversial Milo Yiannopoulos has called himself the ‘worst white supremacist ever’ after marrying his partner.
Milo just married his boyfriend, John, in Hawaii over the weekend and in response to his detractors, some who have called the controversialist a white supremacist in the past, blasted his critics saying he must be the worst white supremacist… ever. Posting about his wedding on Instagram, Milo was at pains to reveal his new husband’s identity by obscuring his face or revealing his surname in pictures he published.
The reception took place at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Saturday.
His now, husband wore a white jacket, which had “Blind For Love” inscribed on the back, whilst Milo wore, in typical camp flamboyance, a floral print Gucci jacket.
A post shared by MILO (@milo.yiannopoulos) on
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The journalist and former Breitbart staffer uploaded a picture of his wedding cake topper and captioned the photo “It’s official”.
Milo then captioned a post as “WORST WHITE SUPREMACIST EVER” after the Daily Mail released a story about the writer captioned, “alt-right poster boy”.
WORST WHITE SUPREMACIST EVER
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He then captioned another press cutting with “this guy is a total failure as a racist”.
This guy is a total failure as a racist
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Most lied about person in the US.
Furthering the conversation about his private and public life, Milo went on to suggest that he must “be the most lied-about person in America”, calling reports about him marrying a Muslim man an “utter fabrication”.
He said,
“I must be the most lied-about person in America. Every day it’s something new. This week the press has invented a lie that my new husband is Muslim. It came completely out of nowhere. I don’t know why they are claiming this. I’ve seen it in a dozen press reports so far. Just an utter fabrication, never checked by anyone, billowing out into the internet and becoming “established fact” despite being totally untrue. This is how the media works, and it’s why you can’t trust a word they say”.
Germany celebrates its first gay marriages Sunday as same-sex unions become legal after decades of struggle, but campaigners say the battle for equal rights isn’t over yet. Wedding bells will ring out in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and other German cities where local authorities will exceptionally open their doors on a Sunday to allow gay couple to… (more…)
The couple Peter Matthews and Alistair Dinnie were married at St John’s Church, run by the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC).
The Scottish Episcopal Church was the first Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriage in its churches. The rule change was not mandated however and clergy will not be forced to officiate at those marriages if it goes against their conscience.
The amendment to canon law on marriage, which removed the stipulation that marriage is only between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton led tributes following the death of LGBT rights campaigner Edith Windsor, 88, whose lawsuit led to the federal recognition of equal rights for same-sex couples. “America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence, and fuelled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to… (more…)
Australia church ‘cancels wedding after Facebook gay marriage post’
Australia’s prime minister Friday defended a church’s right not to marry some couples following reports a woman’s wedding was cancelled after she posted support for same-sex marriage on Facebook ahead of a national vote. A voluntary postal ballot involving up to 15 million Australians on whether gay marriage should be legalised is underway, with the results… (more…)
Edith Windsor, who helped end the ban on same-sex marriage has died at the age of 88.
Ms Windsor’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, announced that the same-sex marriage activist had died at the age of 88, in New York, USA. The cause of her death was not given, but Ms Windsor had been struggling with a heart condition for years.
Commenting on her death President Obama said that she was a “quiet” hero for the equality cause. He said, “Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor — and few made as big a difference to America.”
Ms Windsor was 81 when she brought a lawsuit (United States V. Windsor) which would end up being the turning point for LGBT rights in America. In 2009, after the death of her first wife, Thea Spyer, to whom she was married to in Canada, Ms Windsor was prevented from getting a marital deduction on Spyer’s estate, because their marriage was not legal in the US.
Ms Windsor was successful, with justices ruling 5-4 in June 2013. The law (the Defense of Marriage Act DOMA) was deemed unconstitutional and the stepping stones for same-sex marriage were in place. Same-sex marriage became legal in every state the US in 2015.
Ms Windsor remarried in 2016 to Judith Kasen, in New York City Hall.
Edith Windsor became a legend because of her tireless activism. Her legal action in United States V. Windsor was instrumental in bringing down DOMA and ensuring that same-sex marriage would be legal across every state in the US.
Edith Windsor appeared at Washington DC pride in 2017 as the Parade’s Grand Marshall. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and worked for IBM from 1958. In May 1968, she attained the title designating the highest level technical position at IBM, Senior Systems Programmer. In 1975 she left the company and with her severance pay she began to focus on her activism.
Congrats! We bet you’ve got enough on your plate and could spare having to plan the holiday of a lifetime on top of that. Have you come to the point where you’re pondering all the unanswered questions and steps that are separating you from actually jumping on that plane?
We hear you.
One question that should never be left ignored is whether you picked a honeymoon destination that is gay-friendly. With over 70 countries still having some form of anti-homosexuality law, it’s easy to see how your perfect holiday could go awry. Although not feeling comfortable showing your affection to your loved one in public is not something you should ever have to deal with, it’s an especially unwelcome feeling on this special occasion. So, we’ve put together a list of the most gay-friendly honeymoon destinations; areas filled with beauty, vibrancy and friendliness.
1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Previously THEGAYUK.com had suggested Brazil as a good location for a Honeymoon, however, due to the legal and criminal situation, we cannot advise going to this part of the world.
2. Barcelona, Spain
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
Barcelona is constantly at the top of the most LGBT-friendly lists — and with good reason. A great mix of delicious tapas, fabulous sandy beaches, stunning historical buildings, balmy year-round climate, and a selection of gay bars, saunas, cruises and hotels to boot make it easy to see why it’s a holiday favourite amongst the gay scene.
3. Reykjavik, Iceland
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
Same-sex marriage became legal in Iceland in 2010, but the country always had a relaxed and accepting attitude towards gay couples. For one thing, their prime minister is openly gay! Despite all this, the beauty of this outlandish country is what will captivate you the most. Don’t miss the Blue Lagoon: a geothermal spa located in a lava field where you can soak in milky blue water at any time of the year.
4. Buenos Aires, Argentina
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
Gay marriage was legalised in 2010 in Argentina, but Buenos Aires was a mecca for gay travellers way before then. Dubbed the “most European place in South America,” it’s a sprawling city rich in history. Take a stroll hand in hand along the pedestrian Calle Florida in the Microcentro, or in the Recoleta, Palermo and marvel at all the beauty without a care.
5. Cancun, Mexico
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
Cancun has so much more to offer than the hedonistic reputation that precedes it. There’s a bit of everything for everyone. Sure, there’s the crazy night life if you fancy that, but there are also a whole throng of gay beaches and hotels to pick from, and a carefree, ‘live and let live’ vibe that’ll put you right at ease.
6. Cape Town, South Africa
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
One wouldn’t always think of the African continent when it comes to gay-friendly travel destinations, but South Africa was the fifth country in the world and first in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage. Seen by many as one of the most beautiful cities in South Africa, Cape Town promises spectacular scenery, incredible beaches and exotic wildlife. Drive safely, though, as the baboons run free!
7. Taiwan
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
Taiwan may also come as a surprise for a gay-friendly destination, but it is one of the most accepting countries in Asia. There’s something for all tastes and tonnes to explore for such a tiny island, including nine national parks (don’t miss the Taroko National Park), a bustling metropolis, pleasant sub-tropical weather and beautiful, remote beaches.
8. Palm Springs, USA
CREDIT: Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain
The sun always shines in the South Californian desert oasis of Palm Springs. As a city that boasts the most same-sex (and the most clothing optional!) hotels in the world, it’s easy to see how you’ll have a great time. Rather go golfing? Hiking? Clubbing? There’s little that can’t be had in Palm Springs.
Parveen Nanda is an experienced blogger and travel expert at Luxtripper, supplying luxury four and five-star hotels and end-to-end package holidays.
