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Content about LGBT rights in Australia

May 23, 2013
New South Wales parliament votes to welcome gay bishop

Bishop Gene Robinson given warm welcome by New South Wales legislative assembly after motion is introduced by Sydney MP Alex Greenwich

New South Wales (NSW) legislative assembly has passed a motion introduced by Sydney MP Alex Greenwich to welcome American openly gay bishop Gene Robinson to the Australian state.

The legislative assembly unanimously passed the motion showing that Australian politicians can agree on one aspect of LGBT rights, as the same-sex marriage debate rages on.

May 20, 2013
Church forces Archbishop Welby to abandon straight civil partnerships

Church 'unconvinced' there was a ‘genuine and widespread public need’ for change as gay marriage bill goes through UK parliament

Church of England bosses have forced their own leader – Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby – to pull support for straight civil partnerships.

It is part of their official response to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales which the government is currently pushing through the UK parliament and which will be debated again today.

The Church of England is the state religion of Britain and its bishops will have a vote on the legislation when it reaches the House of Lords.

May 20, 2013
Gay marriage bill still on track despite fight in UK parliament

British MPs have rejected amendments that would have watered down or delayed gay marriage proposals

Members of Parliament (MPs) have knocked back amendments to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales that would have watered down or possibly delayed or ‘wrecked the bill’.

An amendment by Conservative party gay marriage critic David Burrowes MP to allow marriage registrars to refuse to conduct same-sex weddings was defeated by 340 votes to 150.

May 20, 2013
Labour abandons support for 'wrecking' gay marriage amendment

Shadow Women and Equalities Minister Yvette Cooper tells opposition party MPs to not vote for Tim Loughton's opposite-sex civil partnerships amendment

British political party Labour has announced they have abandoned support for a 'wrecking' amendment supporting opposite-sex civil partnerships today (20 May).

Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary and the Shadow Equalities Minister, has announced Labour will table its own amendment.

As outlined on The World At One, she explained the amendment would establish 'an immediate consultation on opposite-sex civil partnerships', which, she said, could begin even before the bill has completed its parliamentary pasage.

May 17, 2013
Same-sex couples win adoption rights for partners' children in Portugal

Portuguese parliament votes for partial adoption law for same-sex couples but stops short of full equality

Portugal’s Parliament has voted in favour of limited gay and lesbian adoption.

The new law will allow those in same-sex couples to adopt their partner’s biological or adopted child.

Ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) supported the bill along with the Socialist Party (SP). It won with 99 votes in favour to 94 against with nine absentees.

Although same-sex marriage has been legal in Portugal since 2010 the new law will not allow same-sex married couples to adopt a child together.

May 6, 2013
Anti-gay marriage candidates win Tasmania election

Despite a campaign to make local election all about marriage equality, anti-gay-marriage candidates win all three contested seats in Australian state of Tasmania

Two candidates who voted against gay marriage in last year's Upper House vote in Tasmania won their seats in a local election yesterday. The third victor has also said she would vote against a state same-sex marriage bill.

April 27, 2013
Moscow threatens again to ban gay couples from adopting Russian children

Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeated plans to block Russian children from being adopted by same-sex couples in other countries

Vladimir Putin has reiterated plans to ban foreign gay couples from adopting Russian children.

On Friday (26 April), the Russian president again signalled that he would change adoption agreements with countries where gay marriage was legal.

Putin said: ‘We treat our partners with respect, but we ask that they treat with respect the cultural traditions, the ethic, legal and moral norms of Russia.'

His statement came as a response to a Russian politician who suggested changes to adoption agreements with France, since the country legalized gay marriage.

April 19, 2013
Australian state premier says he supports gay marriage

Prominent Liberal politician comes out in support of legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia

The premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has come out in support of same-sex marriage.

'As a Liberal who believes that commitment and family units are one of the best ways in which society is organized, I support the concept of same-sex marriage,' said Barry O'Farrell to Fairfax Media, dismissing the argument that gay marriage would damage traditional marriage as 'utterly ridiculous'.

April 17, 2013
Australian Marriage Equality 'deeply embarrassed' by New Zealand's gay marriage success

'The world's attention will be on New Zealand's achievement, and Australia's corresponding failure,' say the same-sex marriage campaign group

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) said they feel 'deeply embarrassed' that they are falling so far behind their neighbor is passing same-sex marriage law.

New Zealand are set to legalize gay marriage today, whereas neither Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard nor opposition leader Tony Abbott supports marriage equality.

A same-sex marriage was overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Representatives and the Senate in Australia last September.

April 16, 2013
New Zealand set to legalize gay marriage

Parliament is to vote on amending their marriage bill with the majority of ministers in favor

New Zealand is ready to make gay marriage legal with parliament set to vote on the issue tomorrow (17 April).

The proposal to amend the country’s 1955 Marriage Act has been well received, and includes backing from Prime Minister John Key, the Global Post reports.

April 9, 2013
Gay couples a step closer to full adoption rights in Australian state of Tasmania

Tasmania’s Lower House has approved a bill giving same-sex couples and unmarried straight couples the right to adopt on the same basis as married heterosexual couples

LGBT rights advocates in the Australian state of Tasmania have welcomed overwhelming support in its Lower House of Parliament for the passage of legislation removing a ban on adoption by same-sex couples, saying it is in the best interests of children.

This afternoon the Tasmanian Lower House voted 18 to 4 to allow same-sex couples to be assessed as potential adoptive parents on the same basis as other couples.

March 28, 2013
Putin calls for ban on all gay couples adopting from Russia

After the Russian president banned all US citizens from adopting orphans, he now wants the government to prepare to prohibit all foreign gay couples

Vladimir Putin is calling for a ban on foreign gay couples adopting Russian children.

The Russian president has instructed the government and Supreme Court to prepare amendments to the current procedure by 1 July.

March 20, 2013
Israel's health ministry to recognize gay couples as parents

A committee of Israel's health ministry adopted court recommendation to recognize both members of gay couples as parents of children born with the aid of overseas surrogacy

Israel’s Health ministry's Implementation Committee adopted a recommendation to recognize surrogacy procedures undertaken overseas, including those of same-sex couples.

The committee a decreed that  a non-biological parent in a same-sex parent couple should be legally recognized as a parent, without undergoing the complex procedure of adoption, as is currently required.

March 19, 2013
Public support for gay marriage hits new high

In new poll, 58% in favor while 36% want it to remain illegal in US

Support for gay marriage in the US has risen to 58%, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,001 adults.

The poll results, released Monday (18 March), show support for marriage equality is at an all-time high.

There are still 36% of respondents who believe it should be illegal.

The results are a reverse of just a decade ago when the same poll showed only 37% in favor while 55% were opposed.

March 11, 2013
NZ Anti-gay marriage group says gay couples should not be allowed to adopt

'The two most loving and capable women in the world simply cannot provide a daddy - and two men cannot provide a mum,' Family First NZ says

Anti-gay-marriage lobby group Family First NZ are objecting to same-sex couples being able to adopt children.

The group released a statement today claiming that changes to adoption laws 'are being sneaked in under the radar'.

'Significant changes to adoption laws should not happen without appropriate debate and consideration,' said Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

March 2, 2013
Australian state inquiry into marriage equality breaks submissions record

The number of submissions to a parliamentary inquiry into same-sex marriage in the Australian state of New South Wales has broken all previous records, with over 7,500 people taking part

Over 7,500 submissions were made into a New South Wales (NSW) state parliament inquiry into the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriage under state law while the Australian Government refuses to move on the issue.

The number of submissions made was the most ever received by a parliamentary inquiry and was more than three times bigger than the previous record holder.

Australian advocates for marriage equality welcomed the overwhelming support for marriage equality demonstrated by the number of submissions.

February 21, 2013
Australian Senate may axe religious groups' right to refuse services to gays

New draft of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill from Australian Senate recommends religious groups are not allowed to discriminate when providing services, but can when hiring staff

Older and sick LGBT people and gay kids at school are set to get a better deal from religious groups, if the Australian Senate gets its way.

A report from the Senate committee examining the new Human Rights and Anti-discrimination Bill recommends that exemptions that allow religious groups to discriminate against individuals when providing services should be removed.

February 8, 2013
How one MP hopes straights will benefit from gay marriage

Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert speaks to GSN about why he wants to open up civil partnerships to heterosexuals

A Liberal Democrat member of parliament has put forward two amendments to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) bill.

After the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill by 400-175, it now goes onto a committee stage.

While only 19 MPs are in the committee, others can put forward suggestions.

Julian Huppert, the Lib Dem MP for Cambridge, is supporting opening up civil partnerships for straight people, and allowing humanist weddings in England and Wales.

February 3, 2013
Scots equality charity warns against anti-gay scare tactics

Anti-gay marriage campaign tactics have been slammed as scaremongering by Scotland's equality campaigners

Scotland for Marriage, an anti-gay marriage campaign group has warned that the same-sex marriage bill will compromise ‘civil liberty’, that anyone opposing it could be ‘sacked’, refused as foster parents, and discriminated in school.

The stepping up of the anti-gay marriage campaign comes as the Scottish Government launched a consultation on its draft legislation to legalise same-sex marriage in December.

Equality campaigners have slammed today (3 Feburary) the group for misleading information and anti-gay scare tactics.

January 27, 2013
Australian Opposition prepares for election with no LGBT policies

Australia’s opposition Liberal Party is heading into an election without any policies on the rights of LGBT people and a platform which ignores their existence

The Australian Opposition has fired its first shot in the 2013 election campaign with a policy booklet that fails to mention LGBT people or their issues.

‘Our Plan – Real Solutions for all Australians’ which aims to spell out what the opposition Liberal Party would do if elected to government contains no mention of LGBT people or if the Liberals would do anything to formally recognize their relationships while in office.

‘Our Plan – Real Solutions for all Australians’ contains no mention of the issue of same-sex marriage or civil unions.

January 24, 2013
Philip Hammond says UK gay marriage will threaten religious groups

Tory Defence Secretary faces protests after calling equal marriage bill not 'robust' enough to protect faith groups

Defence secretary Philip Hammond has slammed the UK government plans for equal marriage, saying religious groups will be at risk.

With the UK government set to publish the marriage equality bill tomorrow (25 January) and a free vote to come later this year, the senior Cabinet Conservative minister has stated his firm opposition to the bill.

In a letter to a student constituent, Hammond challenged the 'robustness' of 'protections for religious organizations' contained within the bill.

January 23, 2013
Gay couples giving homes to nearly half of Flanders' adopted kids

Six years after Belgium allowed homosexuals to adopt, 14 out of 30 children were given to gay couples

Gay couples are giving homes to almost half of adopted children in the Flanders area of Belgium.

The Flemish Center for Adoptions announced today (23 January) in 2012, 14 children went to gay couples and 16 went to straight ones.

By law, Belgian mothers are allowed to stop adoptions if they do not approve of the hopeful family.

A FCA spokesman said the numbers show the organizations in charge of adoptions are thinking without prejudice.

January 16, 2013
Australian Christian Lobby says PM will allow them to discriminate against gay people

Anti-gay group head Jim Wallace says religious groups will continue to be exempt from anti-discrimination law

The head of the anti-gay Australian Christian Lobby said that the prime minister assured him religious groups will be allowed to continue to discriminate against gay people.

Under the current anti-discrimination law in Australia, religious organizations (including schools and hospitals) can refuse to hire certain people if they say it 'is necessary to avoid injury to the religious sensitivities of adherents of that religion',
The Age reports.

January 16, 2013
Majority of MPs will vote for gay marriage in England and Wales

A majority of MPs in the House of Commons have committed to vote for marriage equality England and Wales

A total of 330 MPs have confirmed they will vote in favor of same-sex marriage legislation when it is introduced at Westminster later this year.

In contrast, just 126 Members of Parliament (MPs) have publicly stated that they remain opposed to a change in the law, meaning there is now a clear parliamentary majority for equal marriage.

January 1, 2013
Get ready for gay marriage in Australia in 2013, says Croome

Australian Marriage Equality convener Rodney Croome predicts wedding bells for gay couples under state law in 2013

Same-sex couples will likely be able to marry in Australia under a state or territory law in 2013, gay marriage advocates have predicted.

It comes after a year of great progress for same-sex marriage in Europe, the US and South America. And 2013 looks set to be even more significant.