Tag Archives: civil unions

Anti-LGBT groups and the Catholic Church have organized a massive rally taking place in Rome today against the civil unions bill under consideration in Parliament. The day began with Anonymous hacking the website of the group organizing the protest, replacing their banner with a “Love Is Love” message. The Guardian reports: Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Rome …

From the New York Times: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated Saturday in nearly 100 cities across Italy to urge the government to permit gay and lesbian couples to have civil unions and legally recognized families. Mirco Pierro, 39, rallied in front of the Pantheon in Rome with his partner and twin infants, saying he wanted “to defend the rights …

ANSA reports: Pope Francis said in a speech for the opening of judicial year of the Vatican’s Roman Rota tribunal that the Catholic Church cannot accept traditional families and other types of unions being given the same status. The pope said the Church’s recent two-year Synod process on the family “told the world that there can be no confusion between …

Italy’s The Local reports: In a move branded “indecent” by Italy’s biggest gay rights group, Catholic senators from Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party have tabled [put forth] an amendment to draft legislation legalizing same sex unions which would require gay couples to prove they had not used a surrogate. If they cannot, the partner who is not the biological …

Over the loud objections of the Orthodox Church and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party, the Greek Parliament just approved same-sex civil unions by a wide margin. Earlier this month an Orthodox bishop called on his followers to literally spit on any lawmaker who votes in favor of civil unions, saying, “Deprecate them! Vote against them! They are not human! They …

On Friday the Romanian Parliament resoundingly defeated a civil unions bill put forward by Green Party president and 2009 presidential candidate Remus Cernea [INSET].  In 2013 Cernea introduced a similar bill, spurring a denouncement by the Orthodox Archbishop of Tomis, who said that Cernea is controlled by Satan. Cernea’s latest attempt failed after an MP suggested that civil unions would …

A few days ago a Greek Orthodox bishop called on his followers to literally spit on any lawmaker who votes in favor of the civil unions bill due to be heard on December 22nd. The Guardian today reports that Greek LGBT activists will be suing the bishop for his “untrammeled hate speech.” Here’s a reminder of what the bishop wrote: …

The Greek Parliament, at long last, is due to consider a civil unions bill. And that has a bishop with the Greek Orthodox Church ready to literally spit with rage. Via the Greek Reporter: The Holy Synod decided to adhere to its previous position, namely that the Church of Greece denounces alternative family forms because they are a devaluation of …

Via ILGA-Europe: The Cypriot parliament has voted in favour of the Civil Partnership Bill, meaning that same-sex couples in Cyprus will be legally recognised for the first time. The legislation, which has generated lots of debate nationally, will offer couples the same rights as civil marriage. However, joint adoption rights are not included as part of the civil union law. …

US Ambassador Mike Hammer celebrated on Twitter this morning as Chile’s civil unions law goes into effect today. The BBC reports: In Chile, a new law comes into force on Thursday which will make it easier for unmarried co-habiting couples to co-own property and make medical decisions. The law will apply to both heterosexual and same-sex couples. Government spokesman Marcelo …

Italy’s long-awaited civil unions bill was at last introduced today in the upper chamber of the national legislature. Reuters reports: Italy is the only major country in the West that has not yet offered homosexual couples any legal rights as successive governments ran into determined opposition from parties close to the Roman Catholic Church. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had promised …

A member of Israel’s Knesset has proposed several sweeping LGBT rights bills that would legalize civil unions and ban “ex-gay’ torture in the name of murdered teen Shira Banki.  The Jerusalem Post reports: MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union) proposed a legislative package of gay rights bills in memory of the 16-year-old who was stabbed at the Jerusalem LGBT parade, a …

Via the Daily Mail: The European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy on Tuesday for failing to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples and said the country should introduce some form of civil union for homosexual couples. Italy is the only major western European country that does not recognise either civil partnerships or gay marriage. The country was taken to …

Pink News reports: Gay couples flocked to civil registry offices in Chile to schedule the first same-sex civil unions since they were approved in the country earlier this year. Thursday (July 9) was the first day that couples could apply for the licence, after a bill approving same-sex civil unions was signed by the country’s President Michelle Bachelet back in …

Via the Jerusalem Post: The Knesset voted down two bills regarding civil unions and marriage on Wednesday with a majority vote of 50 to 39 for each bill. The first bill, proposed by Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie sought to create civil unions, an alternative for those who could not have their weddings officiated by the rabbinate or other religious …

Via the Denver Post: A proposed ballot initiative filed Thursday would redefine same-sex marriages in Colorado as civil unions. A second initiative would allow wedding-related businesses opposed to gay marriage to hire a contractor to serve the couples. Keeping gay marriage out of Colorado could be difficult, if not impossible, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 26 that …

ANSA Politics reports: Italy’s Lower House on Wednesday approved a motion on same-sex civil unions promoted by the Democratic Party. It was the first such motion from any party to gain the approval of MPs in the Lower House after several other motions were rejected. The motion commits the government “to promote the adoption of a law on civil unions, …

ILGA-Europe reports: The Greek government has signaled its intention to legislate for civil partnership rights for all couples, almost 18 months after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Greece must widen its civil partnership law to include same sex couples. This announcement is very encouraging and ILGA-Europe are pleased to see that Greece is finally taking steps to …

By a vote of 215-146, Polish lawmakers have rejected placing a civil unions bill on the agenda for the coming legislative session.  Nearly 100 legislators reportedly abstained or refused to vote. This is the fourth consecutive year that such an action was rejected. The 2013 attempt to pass a civil partnerships bill failed to advance by 17 votes. The head …

Gay Star News reports: The Cypriot Cabinet Wednesday approved a long-awaited civil partnership bill that would allow gay couples to register their relationships and grant them all marriage rights except joint adoption. The legislation will now be sent to parliament, where it will be discussed and put to a vote. Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos, who helped prepare the bill, said …