Marriage Equality

KENTUCKY: Gay Man Denied Marriage License By Notorious Bigot Kim Davis Files To Run For For Her Job

The Associated Press reports: David Ermold will return to the Rowan County courthouse Wednesday, nearly two years after Clerk Kim Davis refused to give him a marriage license because he was gay. Only this time, he does not want a license. He wants Davis’ job. Ermold filed to run for county clerk on Wednesday, hoping to challenge the woman who …

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AUSTRIA: Constitutional Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage, Ruling Goes Into Effect In 2019 At The Latest

Deutsche Welle reports: Same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in Austria from 2019, according to a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court announced on Tuesday. Same-sex couples in Austria have been able to enter only into “registered partnerships” since 2010, with nearly the same rights of married couples. But the court ruled that “the distinction between marriage and registered …

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BREAKING: SCOTUS Rejects Appeal Of Texas Supreme Court Ruling Against Public Benefits For Gay Spouses

The Austin Statesman reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Texas ruling that said the right to a marriage license did not entitle same-sex couples to spousal benefits under employee insurance plans. The city of Houston asked the high court overturn last June’s Texas Supreme Court decision that determined all marriage-related matters were not decided when the …

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Aussie MP Proposes During Marriage Debate [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Tim Wilson, a 37-year-old lawmaker in the conservative coalition government, was among the first lawmakers to join the House of Representatives debate and toward the end of his speech popped the question to his partner of seven years Ryan Bolger, who was watching from the public gallery. “In my first speech I defined our bond by …

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AUSTRALIA: Senate Approves Marriage Bill In Lopsided Vote, Easy Passage Expected In House Next Week

The Guardian reports: The Australian Senate has passed a same-sex marriage bill, the first marriage equality bill to pass either house of federal parliament, succeeding where more than 20 previous attempts have failed. Two weeks after the announcement that 61.6% of those who participated in the unprecedented national postal survey voted in favour of same-sex marriage, the Senate passed the …

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Australian Attorney General Gives Impassioned Speech On Marriage: You Are Normal, You Have A Need To Love

“I want to reflect for a moment on the message this will send, in particular, to young gay people. To the boy or girl who senses a difference from their friends, which they find difficult to understand and impossible to deal with. How many hundreds of thousands of young Australians have known that fear? How many have lived with it, …

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AUSTRALIA: Senator Weeps During Heart-Tugging Defense Of Gay Friends At Marriage Bill Debate [VIDEO]

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: An emotional Sarah Hanson-Young has broken down in parliament while speaking on the bill to make gay marriage legal today. The South Australian Greens senator could not fight her tears, or running mascara, as she issued a heartfelt apology to her former party leader Bob Brown, a gay man and LGBTIQ rights activist, that parliament …

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CHILE: 100,000 March For Marriage Equality [VIDEO]

On Top Magazine reports: Tens of thousands of activists on Saturday joined a protest in Santiago, Chile to demand passage of laws that would extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and protect transgender people. According to organizer the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh), 100,000 people attended the protest. Demonstrators marched from Plaza Italia to Plaza Los …

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AUSTRALIA: Catholic Archbishop Claims “Yes” Didn’t Win Majority Since 20% Didn’t Vote In Marriage Survey

The Daily Telegraph reports: It’s good enough for the people and good enough for the government — but that’s not good enough for the Catholic church. While the Yes vote for gay marriage was a convincing 61.6 per cent, the country’s most influential Catholic cleric Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher reckons that is not a majority. Because about 20 per cent …

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CHILE: Marriage Equality Bill Debate Begins Monday

Gay Star News reports: Chile will finally begin the important steps of debating marriage equality on Monday (27 November). President Michelle Bachelet introduced the bill on 28 August, intending to modify the language to open up marriage to same-sex couples. The Senate Constitution Committee has requested several organizations, from LGBTI groups to religious leaders, to come forward and make their …

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European Union High Court Hears Same-Sex Marriage Case That Could Expand Rights To All Member Nations

The New York Times reports: The European Union’s highest court began examining a case on Tuesday over a Romanian man’s attempts to get legal residency for his American husband, a closely watched hearing that will have major implications for the legal recognition of same-sex relationships across Europe. The case, legal experts say, could determine whether same-sex partners are afforded some …

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AUSTRALIA: Lawyer Offers To Help Couple Fulfill Their Vow To Divorce If Same-Sex Marriage Becomes Law

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: A Sydney lawyer has offered his pro-bono support to a straight couple who said they would divorce if Australia legislated for same-sex marriage. Michael Tiyce, from Sydney family law firm Tiyce & Lawyers, told news.com.au he wanted to help Canberra couple Nick and Sarah Jensen keep their promise to Australia, “because, quite simply, they are …

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When Australia Heard The Marriage Result [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: A solid majority of Australians voted in favor of same-sex marriage in a historic survey that, while not binding, paves the way for Parliament to legally recognize the unions of gay and lesbian couples. Of 12.7 million Australians who took part in the survey, 61.6 percent voted yes and 38.4 percent voted no, officials announced …

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Australian PM Vows “Marriage Before Christmas”

Moments after the survey result was announced, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appeared before national cameras and vowed his intention to get a same-sex marriage bill through Parliament by Christmas. Watch below. Earlier today, Turnbull denounced right wing plans to laden the bill with “religious liberty” amendments which would legalize anti-LGBT discrimination by wedding-related businesses. According to Turnbull, such amendments …

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LIVE VIDEO: Australia Marriage Survey Result

The highly-anticipated result of Australia’s non-compulsory postal survey on same-sex marriage will be announced at 6PM New York City time, which is 10AM tomorrow in Sydney. Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: The man with the golden envelope, containing the final tally, will be Australian Statistician David W. Kalisch. Ahead of the public announcement, Mr Kalisch will inform Finance Minister Mathias …

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AUSTRALIA: PM Turnbull Rebukes Marriage Bill That Would Allow Discrimination, “No Prospect” Of Passing

The Guardian reports: The government “would not countenance” legalising discrimination against same-sex weddings and a bill to do so would have “virtually no prospect” of passing parliament, Malcolm Turnbull has said in an extraordinary rebuke of conservatives demanding the rollback of anti-discrimination laws. As conservative Coalition MPs and senators rallied around the same-sex marriage bill released on Monday by Liberal …

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AUSTRALIA: Marriage Survey Result Comes Tomorrow

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: He is the global trotting, career public servant with an eye-watering pay packet who tries to fly under the radar. But on Wednesday morning, at the dot of 10, all eyes will be on Australia’s numbers man-in-chief, David W. Kalisch. Grandly titled the “Australian Statistician”, Mr Kalisch heads the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and …

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AUSTRALIA: 49% Say Businesses Should Have Right To Refuse Same-Sex Weddings On Religious Grounds

The Guardian reports: Almost half of Australians believe service providers should have the right to refuse same-sex weddings on the basis of their religious views, a poll has found. The Lonergan Research poll of 971 people found that 49% believed that service providers who refused same-sex weddings based on their religious views should be protected by law, compared with 35% …

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AUSTRALIA: Marriage Survey Ends With 78% Response

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: And now, it’s over to the vote counters, and the politicians. The $122 million same-sex marriage survey closes tonight, with final Australian Bureau of Statistics figures revealing 12.6 million Australians voted in the poll. With just hours until the survey closes, that’s a return rate of 78.5 per cent as of last Friday. The final …

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AUSTRALIA: Openly Gay Winner Of The Voice Issues Love Is Love Single To Back Marriage Equality [VIDEO]

Just in via email: My name is Alfie Arcuri and I’m the first openly gay winner of The Voice Australia. I am big fan of your blog and it would be awesome if you had the time to share my video Love is Love.  I am a strong advocate for the gay and lesbian community and I perform and dedicate …

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