Marriage Equality

CNN reports: German lawmakers will decide Friday whether to legalize same-sex marriage, according to CNN affiliate NTV. The snap vote comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she would like to see parliament move towards a “vote of conscience” on the issue. Following Merkel’s comments, German politicians writing on Twitter called for a vote to be held as soon …

The Guardian reports: Angela Merkel has signaled a change in her party’s opposition to gay marriage after stating MPs should be allowed a free vote in the German parliament. Speaking at an event organised by women’s magazine Brigitte, the German chancellor said she felt aggrieved that the gay marriage debate was mainly carried out along party lines and that she …

The Washington Examiner reports: Support for gay marriage among U.S. adults hit 62 percent in June, the highest level ever recorded, according to a Pew Research poll released Monday. The June 8-18 survey found just under one-third of Americans do not support same-sex marriage, further increasing the gap between advocates and opponents. Pew, who has been tracking Americans’ opinions on …

Gallup reports: Two years after the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that states could not prohibit same-sex marriages, 10.2% of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) adults in the U.S. are married to a same-sex spouse. That is up from 7.9% in the months prior to the Supreme Court decision in 2015, but only marginally higher than the …

Cincinnati’s ABC affiliate reports: The city honored the Cincinnati native who was the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that declared same-sex marriage legal across the U.S.  City council members voted unanimously Wednesday to give Mercer Street the honorary name “John Arthur & Jim Obergefell Way” after Obergefell, the plaintiff in the case, and Arthur, his deceased husband. “John …

The Associated Press reports: Germany’s highest court has rejected an opposition party’s attempt to force a parliamentary vote on introducing gay marriage before September’s national election. The opposition Greens and Left Party, as well as parliament’s upper house, have proposed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. The governing coalition is divided on the issue and the lower house’s legal affairs committee has …

Reuters reports: Germany’s Greens are open to working with any party except the right-wing Alternative for Germany after a September vote but will list gay marriage as a condition, which could make it tricky to work with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives. The Greens, which also named climate protection as their price for participating in government, could be a kingmaker in …

The BBC reports: The Scottish Episcopal Church has voted to allow gay couples to marry in church. It makes it the first major Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages. The vote to amend canon law on marriage, removing the stipulation that it is between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh. It …

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: In the skit released on Saturday night in Paris, McEnroe said Court telling fans that “tennis is full of lesbians” prompted three thoughts to him. “This is true and who gives a f**k? This is not true and who should give a f**k? This is half true and should we really give a f**k?”, he …

Reuters reports: Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced plans on Thursday for new infrastructure including an underground railway line and copper smelter, and said she would push forward on her promise to get a law passed that would allow for same-sex marriage. Her wide-ranging annual state-of-the-union speech to Congress in the port city of Valparaiso, which lasted over two hours, largely …

Remember the nutcase who sued Apple in 2013 because his computer didn’t block him from accessing the porn which ruined his marriage? And then in 2014 when he attempted to intervene in one of Florida’s same-sex marriage cases so that he could marry that porn-filled laptop? And then last year when he tried the same thing in Texas? Well, here …

The Bangkok Post reports: The Ministry of Justice has vowed to take action in favour of a petition demanding a stalled bill on gay rights be enacted. The Constitutional Court of Taiwan ruled in favour of same-sex marriage on May 24 and now calls to follow suit in Thailand may be gaining strength. Pitikan Sithidej, director-general of the Rights and …

The Associated Press reports: Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed into law a bill revising Nevada’s domestic-relations statutes to reflect the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill signed Friday by Sandoval authorizes the marriage of two people, regardless of gender. The bill also revises Nevada state laws to give same-sex couples the same parental rights as couples …

Bermuda’s Royal Gazette reports: Thousands rallied behind same-sex union opponents Preserve Marriage yesterday outside Parliament, alongside a smaller peaceful demonstration by supporters of same-sex marriage. Addressed by various speakers, the crowd reiterated calls for the Government to appeal the Supreme Court’s decision permitting same-sex unions. While the group’s charitable status has been revoked, Preserve Marriage vowed to continue as a …

People Magazine reports: While President Donald Trump has met with many male heads of government, First Lady Melania Trump has often mingled with their wives. But on Thursday, Mrs. Trump was introduced to the First Gentleman of Luxembourg. Gauthier Destenay, the husband of Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, joined Trump and other spouses for a dinner while their significant others …

NBC News reports: Declaring “love comes in all flavors,” Ben & Jerry’s said Thursday it’s banning its Australian customers from buying two scoops of the same flavor of ice cream until same-sex marriage is legalized across the country. Ben & Jerry’s, based in Vermont, is famous for its socially conscious advocacy, from combatting climate change to promoting ethical treatment of …

Tennis.com reports: Former tennis great and now Christian pastor Margaret Court says she will stop using Qantas “where possible” in protest over the Australian airline’s promotion of same-sex marriage. “I am disappointed that Qantas has become an active promoter for same-sex marriage,” Perth resident Court said in the letter published in The West Australian newspaper. “I believe in marriage as …

The Shanghaiist reports: On Wednesday afternoon, cheers rang out in the streets of Taipei as Taiwan’s top constitutional court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, but not everyone present was so overjoyed. The ruling has left anti-gay groups on the island in shock, with one prominent activist likening the decision to the September 11th terror attacks of 2001. Shih Chun-yu, …

History! The South China Morning Post reports: Taiwan’s top court, the Council of Grand Justices, ruled in favour of gay marriage on Wednesday, the first landmark ruling in Asia on same-sex unions. The ruling by a panel of 14 grand justices in Taipei said the current law that bars same-sex marriage is a violation of the constitution – making the …

Gallup reports: Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults say same-sex marriages should be recognized by the law as valid. Although not meaningfully different from the 61% last year, this is the highest percentage to date and continues the generally steady rise since Gallup’s trend began in 1996. The latest update, from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll conducted May 3-7, comes …