Tag Archives: LGBT rights

The Perchy Bird reports: Following unanimous approval in both the Greenlandic and Danish Parliaments, the same-sex marriage and adoption bill was given the ceremonial Royal Assent on Wednesday. The island’s new Civil Code will become gender-neutral and couples will begin marrying the day the law comes into force on April 1st. Greenland’s Bishop had been looking forward to couples being …

Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who is widely known as America’s craziest governor, yesterday stopped his state’s Department of Education from issuing rules intended to protect transgender students. The Associated Press reports: Rep. Matthea Daughtry of Brunswick says the rules are required by the 2013 Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in favor of Nicole Maines, a transgender student in Orono who …

The Guardian reports: The United Nations Postal Administration has released six new postage stamps promoting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The colourful stamps by artist and UNPA art director Sergio Baradat are also meant to celebrate the diversity of the gay community and marks the first time the global body’s post office has issued stamps with an …

In an interview with NBC’s New England Cable News, yesterday Donald Trump vaguely promised “forward motion” on LGBT issues should he be elected. Bay Windows reports: Just days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, Trump cast himself as a uniter on LGBT issues. O’Connell, who is also Bay Windows’ publisher, identified herself as a lesbian in a question that noted …

From Pierre’s NBC affiliate: A legislative panel has approved a bill that would bar the government from taking actions such as revoking the tax exempt status of an organization because of religious beliefs about marriage or sex. The House State Affairs committee approved the measure Wednesday. It heads to the full House. Republican Rep. Scott Craig says a person or …

Whoa. You’ll definitely want to watch this. Buzzfeed reports: Greens senator Robert Simms has ripped into former prime minister Tony Abbott for speaking to an ultra-conservative anti-gay group in the U.S. last week. “It advocates for the criminalisation of homosexuality and the abolition of anti-discrimination laws that protect the rights of LGBTI people,” he said. “It is a lunatic fringe …

It was hoped that the fake LGB (no T) rights bill that advanced last week in an Indiana Senate committee would be amended and corrected today before the full chamber. Instead it wasn’t heard at all and is now dead for the legislative session. Hate groups are doing a victory dance. From the Indianapolis Star: Senate President Pro Tem David …

Huge news out of India this morning. Video below. The BBC reports: India’s Supreme Court has agreed to revisit a previous judgement that upheld a law criminalising gay sex. Three senior judges said the 2013 ruling would be re-examined by a larger bench of judges, in a move that has been welcomed by activists. The judges said that the issue …

Freedom To Marry has relaunched its website to serve as an instructive tool for overseas activists pursuing marriage equality in their own nations. Evan Wolfson writes: What a journey it was – full of pain, injustice, loss, and sacrifice, but also, of course, love, hope, confidence, trust, transformation, and, ultimately, triumph. Through hard work, we held America to its promise, …

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 …

Last year the DNC created the LGBT Advisory Board to elevate “grassroots LGBT Democratic voices.” Today they announced that former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and longtime New York City HIV/AIDS activist Rev. José M. Román have accepted positions as the board’s co-chairs. Annise Parker:  “The LGBT community has made huge strides the past 7 years under Democratic leadership, but with …

Michigan Live reports: The proposal to add civil rights for LGBT people to Michigan’s constitution will no longer aim for the 2016 ballots, its organizer announced during a taping of public television show Off The Record Friday morning. “We are suspending our 2016 campaign, but I can assure you this is not the end of Fair Michigan,” said organizer Dana …

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: Parliamentary support for same-sex marriage reform appears to have reached critical mass and for the first time could pass in both houses, placing renewed pressure on Malcolm Turnbull to grant a free vote, rather than spend millions of dollars organising a non-binding public plebiscite. Mr. Turnbull has promised conservative colleagues he will honour the plebiscite …

In a YouGov poll issued today, more than two-thirds of German voters and a majority of those belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party say they support same-sex marriage. Via Germany’s edition of The Local: With 68 percent in favour, support has grown by around 3 percent on this issue since YouGov last conducted the poll less than 12 months ago. …

Via the Associated Press: Nebraska’s defunct same-sex marriage ban could once again go before voters under a measure that seeks to remove it from the state constitution. Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha told a legislative committee Wednesday that his proposed amendment would ensure the constitution stays consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allowed same-sex marriage. Voters approved the …

After hours of testimony from local and national hate groups as well as sobbing out-of-state martyred anti-LGBT business owners, the Indiana Senate Rules and Legislative Procedures committee tonight advanced a heavily-amended “LGBT rights” bill that actually worsens the already poor civil rights status of LGBT Hoosiers. Activist groups below are calling for “all hands on deck” to stop the bill. Freedom …

As I noted in an update to this morning’s post on Indiana’s LGBT rights battle, Lambda Legal fiercely opposes the allegedly pro-gay bills to be debated right now in before a state Senate committee. Also opposing the bills is right wing martyr Baronelle Stutzman, who is there courtesy of the Alliance Defending Freedom. Watch at this link. UPDATE: The Oregon …

Randy Thomasson, head of the viciously anti-LGBT group Save California, today issued a press release in which he urges fellow crackpots not to support fake conservative Donald Trump, whose love for LGBT rights proves that he hates White Jesus. He writes: Talk is cheap and campaign promises are a little better. But what you’ve done in the past is the …

IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM LAMBDA LEGAL BELOW. Great news from Freedom Indiana: The Senate Rules Committee just decided to not advance SB66, the “Super RFRA” bill! That means this heinous bill is almost certainly dead for this legislative session — and it’s because of your hard work! It’s certainly a relief that Hoosiers will be spared a second RFRA-fueled tragedy. But …

In a unanimous 11-0 ruling, today the Mexican Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the state of Jalisco, home to the popular gay resort Puerto Vallarta, and Guadalajara, the nation’s second largest city. Same-sex marriage is legal and recognized in all of Mexico’s 31 states, but Jalisco becomes only the sixth state to allow same-sex marriages without a complex legal …