UK Parliament Passes Marriage Equality In Northern Ireland

Lawmakers in Parliament have voted overwhelmingly to extend same-sex marriage rights to LGBTQ citizens of Northern Ireland.

The vote, by a lopsided margin of 393 to 73, will bring marriage equality to the only part of the UK or Ireland that does not currently recognize same-sex marriage.

The issue has been shelved in Northern Ireland since January 2017, when Stormont - the Northern Ireland Assembly - collapsed. Since that time, the country has basically been run by civil servants.

The proposal was part of a debate meant to keeping Northern Ireland running in the absence of a functioning government.

The marriage amendment, put forward by Labour MP Conor McGinn, requires marriage equality to become the law of the land in Northern Ireland if Stormont is not restored by October 21.

The Guardian reports McGinn addressed the House of Commons saying the chamber had “failed LGBT people in Northern Ireland before” by not extending same-sex marriage rights in a timely manner.

“Tonight, we have the chance to do the right thing,” said McGinn. “People in Northern Ireland, and indeed across Britain and Ireland, are watching. I, for one, am not going to let them down.”

WE DID IT !!!!!

The House of Commons has voted by a massive majority to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland if the Stormont Executive isn’t restored by 21st October.

Thank you to @Love_EqualityNI & the thousands of people who have campaigned for equal marriage. pic.twitter.com/TDalAw1VIg

— Conor McGinn (@ConorMcGinn) July 9, 2019

A caveat to the clause allows for a future assembly in Northern Ireland to have the power to amend or change the law.

In the meantime, it will be necessary for the Secretary of State in Northern Ireland to prepare for new regulations allowing marriage between same-sex couples.

MPs in Parliament also voted to extend abortion rights to women in the same session.

🌈BREAKING🌈
MPs have voted in favour of equal marriage in Northern Ireland, 383 to 73. Congratulations to everyone who's campaigned tirelessly for #equalmarriage. Same-sex couples in NI will soon be able to enjoy the same rights to marry as the rest of the UK.#EqualityWins pic.twitter.com/OCfj0jDyPG

— LGBT Foundation (@LGBTfdn) July 9, 2019

Am in bits. Northern Ireland will have marriage equality if there is no Executive by 21 October. We’ve waited so long it doesn’t feel real. Thank you @ConorMcGinn! 🏳️‍🌈😭

— Eóin Tennyson (@EoinTennyson) July 9, 2019

(source: The Guardian)

Celebrating 4 Years Of Marriage Equality In The US

It was four years ago today that the U.S. Supreme Court issued its historic ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, making same-sex marriage legal across the entire United States.

In light of the happy occasion, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at how marriage equality has spread across the globe. Currently, 30 countries recognize same-sex marriage.

On September 12, 2000, The Netherlands became the first nation on the planet to legalize marriage equality. On April 1, 2001, the day the law went into effect, the world watched as four same-sex couples exchanged marriage vows in a ceremony officiated by the mayor of Amsterdam.

In July 2010, Argentina led the way in South America after several cities including Buenos Aires had allowed gays and lesbians to enter into civil unions.

While Denmark made marriage equality legal in 2012, it’s worth noting they were the first country in the world to recognize same-sex couples as domestic partners.

In 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage via popular vote. Until then, other countries came to marriage equality via court ruling or legislation.

(image via ABC News - click to enlarge)

Last month, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize marriage equality.

And on June 12, Ecuador became the newest addition to the list of countries that recognize same-sex marriage.

Here are the 30 countries (so far) that have legalized same-sex marriage (in chronological order):

The Netherlands
Belgium
Spain
Canada
South Africa
Norway
Sweden
Argentina
Portugal
Iceland
Denmark
Uruguay
Brazil
New Zealand
England
Wales
France
Luxembourg
Scotland
United States
Ireland
Finland
Greenland
Colombia
Malta
Australia
Germany
Austria
Taiwan
Ecuador

(source: ABC News)

Alabama Legislature Passes Total Abortion Ban

In case you were wondering why conservatives/Republicans continue to support Donald Trump.

Because he's appointing judges that will uphold laws like Alabama's new near-total-ban on abortion.

From The New York Times:

The Alabama Senate approved a measure on Tuesday that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, setting up a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the case that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy.

The legislation bans abortions at every stage of pregnancy and criminalizes the procedure for doctors, who could be charged with felonies and face up to 99 years in prison. It includes an exception for cases when the mother’s life is at serious risk, but not for cases of rape or incest — a subject of fierce debate among lawmakers in recent days.

The House approved the measure — the most far-reaching effort in the nation this year to curb abortion rights — last month. It now moves to the desk of Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican. Although the governor has not publicly committed to signing the legislation, many Republican lawmakers expect her support.

Democrats tried to add amendments to the bill like providing women forced to have children with prenatal and medical care until the child reached the age of 13. But, apparently, Alabama Republicans only care about life before the child is born.

The law will be struck down by a lower court. That ruling will be appealed all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court where Trump's two justices will side against women's rights, and overturn Roe v. Wade.

Republicans are getting what they want from Trump.

And, by the way, everyone has said, "Roe v Wade is settled law - it won't be overturned."

Now look.

So, for all those who say marriage equality can't be reversed, I suggest you look around.

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio & now Alabama - these anti-abortion bills aren't a coincidence, it's a concerted effort by the GOP to overturn Roe v. Wade.

I'm sick and tired of this outright assault on women's bodily autonomy - we will fight this with everything we've got.

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) May 15, 2019

To be clear—before a bunch of ding dongs tweet “but HRC wasn’t running for Governor of Alabama”—

Hillary Clinton would not have nominated Gorsuch or Kavanaugh for SCOTUS seats and she wouldn’t have allowed the Federalist society to pick her lower court judge nominees.

— Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) May 15, 2019

#Alabama
1) "We're not going to teach kids about sex."
2) "We're going to take away contraception access."
3) "If you get pregnant, we're going to force you to have the baby."
4) "After you have the baby, you're on your own."

It's no wonder Alabama is ranked last in education.

— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) May 15, 2019

NY State: Town Clerk Forced To Apologize For Refusing Marriage License To Gay Couple

Town clerk Sherrie Eriksen apologizes for denying gay couple a marriage license

On July 30 last summer, Thomas Hurd and Dylan Toften went to the office of their town clerk in Root, New York, to obtain a marriage license.

Instead of a joyful, upbeat episode in their lives, the men were dismayed to be turned down by town clerk Sherrie Eriksen.

She put the couple off saying they couldn’t get a marriage license because they didn’t make an appointment before coming to the office, according to WRAL.

She also told the men that she has a personal objection to same-sex marriage.

That’s despite the fact that New York state legalized marriage equality in 2011, and the U.S. Supreme Court made it the law of the land in 2015.

Toften took to social media at the time to share the incident writing, “Town of Root clerk is a bigot!!! Refused to do our marriage license. She said make an appointment to have her deputy do it… do your job Andrew Cuomo.”

Gov. Cuomo responded to the post by tweeting, “Marriage equality is our law in NY. The denial of a license to a same sex couple is an unconscionable act of discrimination. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I’d like to congratulate Dylan & his future husband on their marriage.”

Marriage equality is our law in NY. The denial of a license to a same sex couple is an unconscionable act of discrimination.

On behalf of all New Yorkers, I’d like to congratulate Dylan & his future husband on their marriage. https://t.co/OIdxyPhyjb

— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) August 1, 2018

Several town meetings were held, an investigation was launched, and a lawsuit was threatened by the couple, according to WRGB News.

In the end, an agreement was reached: the town of Root would pay the men $25,000 plus Eriksen would personally deliver a public apology.

And so it came to be on Wednesday afternoon that Eriksen, standing in front of news cameras and town leaders at the weekly town meeting, made her apology.

“In my capacity as town clerk, it is my responsibility to provide marriage licenses to all couples, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, so long as they meet all applicable New York state requirements,” she began. “As such, my office and I will personally will issue marriage licenses to any couple without exception, who is legally entitled to be issued one.”

Her voice wavering a bit, she continued, “On July 30th of last year, there was an unfortunate incident involving Mr Thomas Hurd and Mr Dylan Toften, who came to my office seeking a marriage license.”

“I am sorry for any harm or inconvenience my actions caused the couple, thank you,” she concluded.

Here’s the video via local CBS News anchor Emily DeFeciani:

Town of Root clerk apologizes tonight 8 months after denying a gay couple their marriage license. The town has also reached a cash settlement with the couple. Hear from them tonight only on @CBS6Albany #MarriageEquality #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/e39x399HRK

— Emily DeFeciani (@CBS6_Emily) April 11, 2019

Hurd and Toften eventually received a marriage license from another town and were married on August 18.

The couple told WRGB that they're proud they stood up for marriage equality.

"If we had never stood our ground, how many more people would've had to go through this?" Toften said.

Dylan Toften and Thomas Hurd (image via Facebook)

News Round-Up: January 24, 2019

Ryan Worley (photo: Vinnie Cassidy)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Las Vegas based photographer Vinnie Cassidy captures a gorgeous sunset moment (above) with Chippendales' hottie, Ryan Worley.

• Australia's postal survey on marriage equality in 2017 led to increased levels of anxiety and depression among LGBTs, according to a new study.

• The Supreme Court of Japan has ruled unanimously to uphold a law which forces transgender people to get sterilized before they can legally change their gender.

• An openly gay congressman who is a political opponent of anti-LGBT Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is leaving his job and the country amid death threats.

• In a 'Hold my Dom Pérignon' moment, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (who is a billionaire) says he doesn't understand why federal workers not getting paid during the Trump shutdown don't just 'take out loans' to feed their families. #clueless

Wilbur Ross is @realDonaldTrump’s Secretary of Commerce.

Wilbur Ross is a billionaire.

And this is billionaire Wilbur Ross saying he doesn’t understand why federal workers not getting paid during the #TrumpShutdown don’t just take out loans *to feed their families*.

Unreal. pic.twitter.com/YHHZqKa8sx

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 24, 2019

• The Trump Administration has waived anti-discrimination requirements for a federally-funded child welfare agency in South Carolina opening the door for discrimination of LGBTQ and non-Christian people who may be seeking to foster or adopt.

• Citing the recent article in The Atlantic regarding allegations of sexual abuse against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the decision to remove Bohemian Rhapsody from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the 'Outstanding Film – Wide Release' category this year.

• Dido has shared a gorgeous live rendition of her new single "Give You Up," from her first album in five years, Still On My Mind, out March 8th.

Dido describes the track as "a good break up song, where you’ve been hurt but feel strong."

"It's that point in a relationship where you are pulling yourself out of the gutter and deciding that it's their loss," she adds. "Which I can totally relate to.”

Austria Celebrates Marriage Equality In The New Year

Shortly after midnight, two women in Velden, Austria, exchanged wedding vows becoming the first same-sex couple to officially marry in the country.

After being engaged for four years, Daniela Paier and Nicole Kopaunik and Daniela Paier were wed early Tuesday morning as same-sex marriage became legal in Austria.

Austria's constitutional court ruled in 2017 that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was discriminatory after years of challenges from LGBTQ rights groups.

Although same-sex couples have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships since 2010, marriage was still out of bounds.

The country’s governing parties, the People's Party and the Freedom Party, opposed marriage equality, but honored the court's ruling.

A September 2018 poll for Österreich found that 74% of Austrians supported same-sex marriage and 26% were against.

As of today there is marriage equality in Austria and registered partnerships are open for heterosexual couples as well.
🏳️‍🌈🇦🇹#Austria #MarriageEquality #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/wHJ3eNwFzA

— Stefan Schulreich (@SSchulreich) January 1, 2019

The start of 2019 also marks the first day of the freedom to marry in #Austria - which today became the 26th country where same-sex couples can marry, following a landmark court ruling affirming marriage equality in 2017! 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/Fs95wjvkFS

— Freedom to Marry (@freedomtomarry) January 1, 2019

As of today, same sex marriage is legal in Austria! 🇦🇹🏳️‍🌈💍
Congratulations to the couple who were the first to get married - a great way to ring in #HappyNewYear2019. Here's to many more. https://t.co/S64maZNXV7 pic.twitter.com/VSj5Jn88LU

— Pride in London (@PrideInLondon) January 1, 2019

(h/t Miami Herald)

LGBTQs In Brazil Rush To Marry Fearing New Anti-Gay President

Even though same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since 2013, LGBTQ couples are hurrying their wedding plans before right-wing politician Jair Bolsonaro is sworn into office as the country’s new president.

Bolsonaro, often referred to as the “Donald Trump of the Tropics,” has been virulently anti-LGBTQ his entire career and campaigned on a promise to defend “the true meaning of matrimony as a union between man and woman.”

Bolsonaro's campaign already seems to have begun to influence public opinion and actions.

Comparing 2017 to 2016, anti-LGBTQ murders are up 30% (387 in 2017 vs. 327 in 2016) according to local LGBTQ advocacy group Grupo Gay de Bahia.

And openly lesbian city councillor Marielle Franco of Rio de Janeiro was murdered in March of this year.

All of this and Bolsonaro's impending presidency has led to a 66% spike in same-sex weddings in November according to The New York Times.

In Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, 57 same-sex weddings were celebrated during the first ten days of December compared to 113 in all of December 2017.

Aline Foguel set a date for her wedding to her girlfriend Carolina Zannata right after Bolsonaro’s landslide victory. She, like many in the LGBTQ community, worries that the new far-right president’s ascension will give permission to homophobes to openly air their hateful, divisive rhetoric, possibly leading to violence.

“People now have this open homophobic discourse that they were too embarrassed to say before,” Ms. Foguel told the Times. “I’m so afraid of reliving a past that I thought we had already conquered. I’ve had panic attacks.”

The Brazilian Bar Association’s head of sexual diversity, Maria Berenice Dias, urged same-sex couples “who want to get married to hurry up and formalize their union before the end of the year.”

And it’s not just marriage equality Brazilian LGBTQs are concerned about.

Noah Beltramini, a transgender man, not only rushed to marry but also to officially change his name and gender identification after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year allowed.

“It wasn’t something I was worried about before,” said Beltramini. “But with Bolsonaro I feel completely vulnerable.”

(h/t The New York Times)

Cuban Government Removes Marriage Equality Language From New Constitution

The government of Cuba announced Tuesday that the proposed constitutional Article 68, which would open the door for same-sex marriage in the island nation, has been removed from the draft of a new constitution

Cuba’s National Assembly announced the news in a series of tweets:

And it’s more obvious here, where secretary of National Assembly proposes to defer the concept of marriage as a way to respect all opinions. The law will define the rest of the elements. #nogaymarriage #Cuba https://t.co/3jz7wbNGfp

— Hatzel Vela (@HatzelVelaWPLG) December 18, 2018

According to Emmy Award winning South Florida journalist Hatzel Vela, translated from Spanish the tweet read, "The [Constitutional] Commission proposes to defer the concept of marriage, meaning it will be taken out of the constitutional project, as a way to respect all opinions. Marriage is a social and jurisdictional institution. The law will define the rest of its elements."

Another tweet said, "The Family Code should establish who can engage in marriage." The Family code is scheduled to be updated shortly after the confirmation of the new constitution.

The first draft of the new constitution was made public in July.

For months now, LGBTQ activists had worked towards eliminating the description of marriage as a union of a man and woman. Instead, the language would have been changed to the union of "two people with absolutely equal rights and obligations."

But, as the public debate continued, evangelical church leaders led protests at meetings on the new constitution. Cuba’s Catholic Church, Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, the Evangelical League and Methodist Church all vigorously oppose the idea of marriage equality.

Vela pointed to another National Assembly tweet that said, “Article 68 was the one most discussed by the people in the popular consultation, in 66 percent of the meetings (of citizen debate).”

The final version of the new constitution is scheduled to be voted on by the National Assembly later this week in advance of a public referendum on February 24.

Former President Raul Castro’s daughter, Mariela Castro Espin, who has led to charge to legalize same-sex marriage, took to Facebook to say “there is no setback” and that the tweet from the National Assembly wasn’t accurate.

“There is no setback, the essence of Article 68 is maintained, the struggle continues, now let’s give the YES to the Constitution and then close ranks to achieve a Family Code as advanced as the new constitutional text,” she wrote according to Gay Star News. “Cuba is ours, Cuba belongs to everyone.”

However, The Washington Blade reports that several of the Cuban journalists and LGBT activists they communicate with on regular basis say “they face harassment and even arrest if they publicly criticize Mariela Castro and/or the Cuban government.”

Cuba bears a long, hideous history regarding the treatment of LGBTs.

In 1959, after the rise of Fidel Castro, 25,000 gay men were rounded up and sent to labor camps.

And during the height of the AIDS pandemic, those with HIV were quarantined in government-run sanitariums. That practice ended in 1993.

Gay Dating Apps Weigh In On Grindr CEO's Marriage Equality Debacle

Last week, the blog INTO, which is owned by Grindr, wrote that Chen had shared an article on his Facebook regarding Cher Wang, the CEO of HTC, who apparently supported anti-LGBTQ organizations in the recent public referendum on same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

Responding to commenters on the post, Chen apparently wrote, in part, “There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman.”

Many folks took his comment that “marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman” as being anti-marriage equality.

INTO updated its report when Chen later issued a statement saying, in part, “The words I chose related to marriage between a man and a woman were meant to express my personal feelings about my own marriage to my wife – not to suggest that I am opposed to marriage equality.”

He went on to say that he has long considered himself “an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.”

“ I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr,” he added. “I apologize that my words did not clearly convey these feelings.”

Now, other gay dating app companies are chiming in on the subject.

CEO and co-founder of SCRUFF, Eric Silverberg, posted a video message expressing his concern that comments from the leaders of gay-centric businesses can have the power to set LGBTQ progress back in terms of equal rights and representation.

He began his message by stating up front that he is “unequivocally in favor of gay marriage.”

“When leaders in the gay community say these things, they disrespect the decades long work of marriage equality activists and give credibility to far-right politicians who are trying to roll back these rights.”

Silverberg also urged tech leaders to understand and further the moral agenda of the communities they serve.

“Let’s move our swipes and ‘likes’ to online communities led by people who stand behind their beliefs and actions, and who have a moral intuition that reflects our community,” he said in closing.

And dating app Jack’d posted a short video response via Instagram which shows Grindr’s recently announced ‘Kindr’ campaign, but it’s quickly overwhelmed by screen shots of the Chen/Grindr story.

Jack'd ends the message with the words “Love is Love.” Watch below.

View this post on Instagram

#loveislove

A post shared by Jack'd (@jackdapp) on Nov 30, 2018 at 12:22pm PST

Judicial Secretary-General Confirms Marriage Equality Will Come To Taiwan By May 2019

Citizens in Taiwan celebrate 2017 ruling by Constitutional Court on marriage equality
(image via Instagram)

As I reported on November 24, Taiwan citizens overwhelmingly voted ‘no’ via public referendum to amend the country’s Civil Code to allow same-sex marriage.

The anti-LGBTQ forces have since informed their supporters that the results of the referendum put a stop to the possibility of marriage equality in Taiwan. In fact, some international news outlets have repeated those claims.

Wrong.

As Taiwan News reports, the country’s Judicial Secretary-General, Lu Tai-lang, addressed the Judiciary and Organic Laws committee of the Legislative Yuan today clarifying that public referendums do not override the Constitutional Court’s 2017 ruling on same-sex marriage.

On May 24, 2017, Taiwan’s highest court ruled that provisions that “do not allow two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the purpose of living a common life” violate people’s right to equality and freedom of marriage under articles 7 and 22 of constitutional law.

The court gave Taiwan’s lawmakers two years to decide not if but how to implement legal same-sex marriage.

Per the Constitutional Court’s ruling, should Taiwan’s Parliament fail to arrive at a legislative solution by May 24, 2019, same-sex marriage will automatically become the law of the land.

Taiwan’s lawmakers have been locked in a stalemate on what approach to take in legalizing same-sex marriage - should it be realized through changes to the Civil Code, or via brand new legislation?

Conservative lawmakers don’t approve of writing marriage equality into their Civil Code. But LGBTQ advocates say a separate marriage law, similar to the UK’s Civil Partnership Act, would fail to provide true equal rights.

Taiwan, perhaps the most liberal country in the Asian region in terms of LGBTQ visibility, recently hosted over 130,000 participants in their Pride Parade.

Taiwan Votes 'No' On Amending Constitution To Allow Same-Sex Marriage

Taiwan Pride 2018 (image via Instagram)

Results from the LGBTQ referendums held on Nov. 24 in Taiwan are in, and by a disappointing lop-sided vote, the Civil Code will remain unchanged in terms of same-sex marriage, reports The Taipei News.

As a result, the legal recognition of same-sex committed relationships will have to take place through the passing of new legislation.

On Case 10, the people of Taiwan voted to maintain the definition of marriage in the Civil Code to be between a man and a woman by a lop-sided vote of 7,260,573 to 2,736,508.

Case 11, which asked whether the Ministry of Education should repeal LGBT inclusive portions of the Enforcement Rules for Gender Equality Education Act in elementary and middle schools, also saw a defeat for the LGBTQ community as the ‘yes’ votes totaled 6,709,178 to 3,227,902.

Case 12 asked if there should be a separate, unequal status for same-sex couples. Taiwanese voters were clear voting 6,056,036 in the affirmative to 3,854,161 dissenting votes.

Case 14 asked if voters wanted to change the Civil Code to offer same-sex marriage. Voters said no.

Case 15 asked if schools should teach all students about ‘gender equality, emotional education, sex education and same-sex education’. Voters said no.

Taiwan’s high court ruled in May 2017 that it was unconstitutional for same-sex couples to be banned from marriage, and gave the government two years to find a legislative solution. Due to disagreements within Taiwan’s parliament, legislation to legalize same-sex marriage stalled.

Taiwan’s parliament has remained deadlocked on a solution as the main point of contention is whether same-sex marriage should be legalized through changes to the Civil Code, or via entirely new legislation. The more conservative factions of Taiwan don’t favor amending the Civil Code.

Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom To Marry, which led to fight for marriage equality in the U.S. issued this statement:

“Tonight, we send our support to advocates and families in Taiwan who are hurting after a disappointing election result.

"Over the last year, anti-LGBT organizations—bankrolled and instigated by US-based groups like the National Organization for Marriage—spent millions on scare tactics and deceit, in an effort to spread lies about gay and lesbian people and harm families.

“While the results of the referenda are not what we hoped for, it is clear that the movement for marriage in Taiwan will not be deterred.

"Nothing about tonight’s votes undermines the landmark court ruling affirming that the freedom to marry is a right guaranteed by Taiwan’s Constitution. And nothing changes the clear mandate from the Court: That by May 2019, lawmakers must update the civil code to allow same-sex couples to marry."

Nothing about today’s disappointing result in #Taiwan undermines the country’s highest court, which has affirmed marriage as a constitutional guarantee for #gay couples. Now more than ever, lawmakers must enact the freedom to marry. pic.twitter.com/VPKus17t5k

— Freedom to Marry (@freedomtomarry) November 24, 2018

Last month, over 130,000 participants took part in Taiwan's Pride Parade, the largest LGBTQ celebration in Asia.

Bermuda Legalizes Marriage Equality - Again

Winston Godwin and Greg DeRoche led the fight for marriage equality in Bermuda

In 2016, voters in Bermuda rejected marriage equality by a ratio of 2-1.

Then in May 2017, the Caribbean territory's Supreme Court ruled in favor of a gay couple making same-sex marriage legal.

However, Bermuda's governor then introduced the 'Domestic Partnership Act' in December 2017, which still swapped out same-sex marriage for domestic partnerships - clearly a downgrade.

The legal maneuver made Bermuda the first country to legalize and then revoke same-sex marriage laws in the world.

But things weren't done yet.

The Supreme Court overruled the domestic partnership legislation in June, but the Bermudan government chose to file an appeal to reverse that reversal.

Are you still with me?

Today, the Court of Appeal issued its ruling upholding the Supreme Court’s June decision.

Yay!

But wait - there's more!

In a last ditch effort, the Court of Final Appeal is now hearing arguments to consider whether to stay its decision for 21 days in order to give the government to time to file an appeal to the Privy Council in Britain.

The Judicial Committee of The Privy Council (JCPC) is the court of final appeal for the UK overseas territories and Crown dependencies.

Supporters celebrate outside Court today after winning another legal battle for same sex marriage | #Bermuda #LGBTQ | https://t.co/9KKAZJL1mX pic.twitter.com/6DWGI2hH74

— Bernews (@bernewsdotcom) November 23, 2018

#LoveWins for #Bermuda as we celebrate #justice and #equality for all today with the Court of Appeals’ historic decision. Our deepest gratitude for lead plaintiffs @rodferguson @maryellenjackson and all friends of #OUTBermuda. pic.twitter.com/Lx9lgPTQ58

— OUTBermuda (@OUTBermuda) November 23, 2018

President Of Cuba Announces Support For Marriage Equality

American LGBTs saw the power of the presidency in action when President Obama announced his ‘evolution’ and support for marriage equality in May 2012.

His statement made an enormous impact on the fight for marriage equality. And three years later, same-sex marriage came to all of the United States.

Now, Cuba is preparing for a nationwide referendum on changing the language in its constitution from defining marriage as a “voluntary union of a man and a woman,” to recognizing marriage as “between two people.”

And the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has publicly announced his support.

According to the BBC, Díaz-Canel said in an interview with Telesur he favors recognizing “marriage between people without any restrictions.”

He added that embracing marriage equality is “part of eliminating any type of discrimination in society.”

The Cuban president acknowledges that Cuba has “been going through a massive thought evolution and many taboos have been broken.”

Much of the credit for Cuba’s ‘evolution’ on marriage is due, in great part, to the efforts of Mariela Castro, daughter of former President Raúl Castro.

Ms. Castro, who leads the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education, has spent years speaking out on behalf of LGBTQ rights. And those efforts are clearly paying off today.

Cuba bears a long, hideous history regarding the treatment of LGBTs.

In 1959, after the rise of Fidel Castro, 25,000 gay men were rounded up and sent to labor camps.

And during the height of the AIDS pandemic, those with HIV were quarantined in government-run sanitariums. That practice ended in 1993.

But even with the country’s “thought evolution,” it comes as no surprise that there are still hills to climb before the vote in the form of Cuba’s religious leaders.

Cuba’s Catholic Church, Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, the Evangelical League and Methodist Church all vigorously oppose the idea of marriage equality.

SCOTUS Nominee Dodges/Evades Questions On Marriage Equality

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Long days of confirmation hearings by the Senate judiciary committee questioning Donald Trump’s latest nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, have yielded no answers on where the candidate stands on marriage equality.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a former Attorney General of California, attempted to get a straight answer to no avail.

“My question is very specific,” she stated. “Can you comment on your personal opinion on whether Obergefell was correctly decided. It’s a yes or no. Please."

Rather than address that question, Kavanaugh deflected to the recent SCOTUS decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd, v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

“Justice Kennedy wrote, ‘The days of discriminating against gay and lesbian Americans or treating gay and lesbian Americans as inferior in dignity and worth are over,’” Kavanaugh replied.

The problem is that case wasn’t about same-sex marriage per se, but about LGBT discrimination.

“That is the precedent of the Supreme Court agreed with by...” Kavanaugh began, a response he’s used throughout the proceedings to avoid a direct answer.

Harris wasn’t having it. “Sir, I’m asking your opinion,” she made clear. “You’re the nominee right now so it is probative of your ability to serve on the highest court in our land.”

“So I’m asking you a very specific question - either you’re willing to answer or not,” framing the back and forth. “And if you’re not willing to answer it, we can move on. Do you believe Obergefell was correctly decided?”

“Each of the justices have declined as a matter of judicial independence,” Kavanaugh demurred.

"So you will not answer that question?" Harris declared and moved on to another subject.

I asked Brett Kavanaugh a very specific question: does he believe the case that made marriage equality the law of the land was correctly decided?

He refused to answer. pic.twitter.com/FO6kCLmk2f

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) September 7, 2018

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tried in his own way to get clarity on the judge’s position on the legality of same-sex marriage.

“Would it be wrong to fire a gay person?” Booker asked Kavanuagh.

“In my workplace, I hire people because of their talents and abilities,” Kavanaugh said, steering away from any legal perspective.

Booker moved to a different tact asking, “For someone to fire someone just because they’re gay… do they have a legal right to fire someone just because they’re gay in your opinion?”

Kavanaugh declined to answer that question directly citing ongoing litigation that he might have to rule on.

Growing frustrated, Booker stated the concern directly to the nominee: “There are a lot of folks who have concerns that if you get on the court, folks who are married right now really have a fear that they will not be able to continue those marital bonds.

“We still have a country where, if you post your Facebook pictures up of your marriage to someone of the same sex, we still have a majority of the states where if that employer of yours finds out that you’ve got a gay marriage and that you’re gay, in the majority of America states, you can fire somebody because they’re gay,” stated Booker.

And Booker’s right. Currently, there’s no federal law protecting LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination.

Only 20 states plus Washington, D.C. protect gay, lesbian or bisexual workers in public or private employ.

“I guess you’re not willing to tell me whether you personally, morally now, think that that’s right or wrong,” Booker concluded.

Watch Sen. Booker go round and round with Kavanaugh below.

Kavanaugh refused to respond to @SenBooker when asked if it should be legal to fire someone just because they are LGBTQ. pic.twitter.com/j4un4GP36y

— GLAAD (@glaad) September 7, 2018

The CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, tweeted this statement deriding Kavanaugh's vague, non-answers to Harris and Booker on these questions of vital concern to LGBTQ Americans.

Judge Kavanaugh refuses to answer simple questions on the dignity of LGBTQ Americans and is unfit to serve on the Supreme Court.

— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) September 7, 2018

With the world watching, Kavanaugh refused to tell LGBTQ Americans that we deserve equal protections under the law and Congress should take action before appointing him to a lifetime position where he will no doubt work to undermine our basic rights to liberty and justice.

— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) September 7, 2018

Former President Carter: Jesus Would Approve Of Gay Marriage

Former President Jimmy Carter
(photo credit: Commonwealth Club / CC license)

In a recent interview with HuffPost Live, former President Jimmy Carter shared he believes that Jesus would approve of same-sex marriage.

Promoting his book Faith: A Journey For All, Carter was asked by journalist Marc Lamont how his religious background aligns with the concept of marriage equality.

“That’s no problem with me,” he said. “I think everyone should have a right to get married regardless of their sex.”

The only conflict Carter says he holds regarding the issue would be if a church were forced to perform same-sex marriages which conflicted with that church’s teachings. This, of course, has never happened.

“But those two partners should be able to go to the local courthouse, or to a different church, and get married,” he added.

The 39th president did say abortion was a moral “problem” for him.

“I have a hard time believing that Jesus, for instance, would approve of abortions unless it was because of rape or incest or if the mother’s life was in danger.”

Carter admitted that while he has long held a conflict on the issue he ‘went along with that” because his “oath of office was to obey the Constitution and the laws of this country, as interpreted by the Supreme Court.”

Lamont pivoted back to the topic of marriage asking point-blank, “Would Jesus have approved of gay marriage?”

The 93-year-old didn’t hesitate in answering. “I believe he would,” Carter said. “I believe Jesus would. I don’t have any verse and scripture.”

“Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere, and was not damaging to anyone else,” he added. “And I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else.”

A longtime ally, Carter campaigned on the idea that “homosexuals should not be singled out for discrimination.”

After winning election, in 1977 Carter became the first sitting president to invite LGBTQ advocates to the White House.

He also shared in 2010 that he feels the United States is ready for an openly gay president.

Indiana GOP Reaffirms Commitment To "Man/Woman" Marriage

Choosing to remain stuck in the Dark Ages, the Indiana Republican Party voted overwhelmingly to reaffirm its commitment to marriage being “between a man and a woman” despite the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which made marriage equality the law of the land.

According to NWI.com, Gov. Eric Holdcomb had proposed a revised party plank regarding families that expressed support for all adults raising children.

Instead the 1,494 GOP delegates attending the biennial convention in Evansville reaffirmed the opposite-sex marriage plank first adopted in 2014.

Proposed by Porter County Republican Chairman Michael Simpson, the new language would have declared: "We support traditional families with a mother and father, blended families, grandparents, guardians, single parents and all loving adults who successfully raise and nurture children to reach their full potential every day.”

Speaking to delegates from the floor of the convention, Simpson said a broader understanding of family “is the best platform for our party and the best way for us to grow.”

But Morgan County GOP chairman Daniel Elliott, pushing the issue to the forefront of the convention, told attendees that man-woman marriage “is an important part of who we are as Hoosier Republicans.”

“This language ... recognizes the reality on the ground that most families are headed by married couples,” Elliot said.

European Union's High Court: Same-Sex Married Couples Have Residency Rights In Member Nations

Clai Hamilton and Adrian Coman

Adrian Coman and his American boyfriend Clai Hamilton married in Belgium in 2010 after dating for 8 years.

Living in New York City at the time, Romanian-born Coman requested residency permits in 2012 for Mr. Hamilton to live and work in Romania. But the request was denied on the basis that the country doesn't recognize same-sex marriage.

The couple took their case to the Romanian courts which referred the gentlemen to the European Court of Justice to inquire whether EU law applied to the issue of same-sex marriage.

According to the BBC, the EU court ruled on Tuesday that member states must recognize marriages contracted between people of the same sex in member countries.

“Although the member states have the freedom whether or not to authorise marriage between persons of the same sex, they may not obstruct the freedom of residence of an EU citizen by refusing to grant his same-sex spouse, a national of a country that is not an EU Member State, a derived right of residence in their territory,” the court said.

Of the 28 member nations of the European Union, only 14 have moved to legalize same-sex marriage. Six member nations have no legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

Gallup: 67% Of Americans Support Marriage Equality

(image via Gallup/click to enlarge)

This year's Values & Morals poll from Gallup shows 67% of Americans support same-sex marriage today.

That's the highest level of support Gallup has recorded since the polling firm began asking Americans about their views on the issue in 1996. 

Back then, a mere 27% of those polled supported gay marriage.

It will come as no surprise that politically speaking there's a wide chasm between Democrats and Republicans on the subject.

The recent data shows that 83% of those who identify as Democrats said they support legally recognized same-sex marriage; only 44% of Republican respondents say they support marriage equality.

And those all-important Independent voters? A healthy 71% of independents said they were in favor of legally recognised same-sex marriage.

One reason for the increase in support could be from visibility: according to Gallup, one in 10 LGBTQ+ adults were married to a same-sex partner in 2017.

“This means that Americans are more likely to know someone who has married a same-sex partner, and the visibility of these marriages may be playing a role in overturning some folks’ previously held opposition to their legal status,” Gallup said.

Same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states in the U.S. in June of 2015 following the historic Obergefell ruling by the Supreme Court.

Survey: 44 States Now Have Majority Support For Marriage Equality

As we approach the three year mark since same-sex marriage became the law of the land thanks to the June 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shared the results of a survey of over 40,000 Americans during the last half of 2017 on the acceptance of marriage equality.

The poll shows, as a country, 61% of Americans support gay and lesbian couples right to marriage, while only 30% are opposed.

When you break it down state-by-state, same-sex marriage has majority support in 44 states.

Only 6 states fail to show at least 50% support. Those six states are: Alabama (41%), Mississippi (42%), Tennessee (46%), West Virginia (48%), Louisiana (48%), and North Carolina (49%).

Of those, only Alabama has a majority of residents who oppose same-sex marriage.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

Trump Administration Refuses To Sign Court Ruling Supporting Marriage Equality & Trans Rights

In January, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued an advisory opinion reiterating that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected classes under the American Convention on Human Rights.

That's great, right?

Except, all member countries didn't sign the statement showing support of the court's opinion.

Seven countries signed the statement. Those were Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Who's missing from that list?

Mmm, that would be the United States.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, the Trump administration chose not to support the opinion.

Even Chile, which doesn't yet have marriage equality, signed its support.

But Trump says he's "better for the gays" than Hillary.

Yeah...