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May 25, 2013
Labor MP changes mind on marriage as Sydney marches for equality

Melbourne Ports MP Michael Danby has announced he will vote for marriage equality on the same day that hundreds of LGBTs and their supporters marched in Sydney

Around 500 people participated in rallies and a march for marriage equality today in Sydney.

The marchers assembled next to Sydney’s town hall and then marched through the city past Hyde Park and up Oxford Street to assemble at Taylor Square where they used chalk to remark a ‘rainbow crossing’ which had been controversially removed by the New South Wales state government.

May 24, 2013
Rift in largest trade union in Australia threatens gay marriage influence in the Labor Party

Members of Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) say anti-marriage-equality leaders don't speak for them

A rift between marriage-equality supporting members and social conservative leaders has erupted in Australia's largest trade union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).

The conflict has potentially far-reaching consequences as the national leader of the SDA is Joe de Bruyn who is hugely influential in the Labor Party and rumored to be the reason Prime Minister Julia Gillard is so stubbornly opposed to marriage equality.

May 22, 2013
David Cameron: Marriage bill will help gay teens ‘stand taller’

UK Prime Minister has attempted to heal the rift in the Conservative party by saying marriage equality opponents are not 'bigoted'

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said the equal marriage bill in England and Wales will help gay teens ‘stand that bill taller’ today.

The Conservative leader also attempted to heal divisions in his party by insisting marriage equality opponents were not ‘bigoted’.

May 21, 2013
Gay marriage will create another 'stolen generation', says Australian Christian Lobby

Australian Christian Lobby equates gay marriage to the removal of aboriginal children from their families, stolen generation representative calls for apology for 'disrespectful' and 'dehumanizing' comments

Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has offended aboriginal rights groups and marriage equality advocates by saying gay marriage will create another 'stolen generation'.

In Australia, the 'stolen generations' were aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families to be brought-up under white 'Christian' values, where many were physically and sexually abused.

May 21, 2013
UK MPs vote for gay marriage in third reading

The same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales has passed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons and will now pass to the Lords for more debate

UK Members of Parliament (MPs) have again backed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales.

It was the third and final reading of the bill in the House of Commons.

In the vote 366 MPs voted for the bill with 161 against, a landslide majority of 205.

The last two days have seen attempts by some Conservative backbench MPs to water down the bill, meaning marriage registrars could opt out of conducting same-sex weddings and teachers wouldn’t have to tell pupils that equal marriage was the law.

Both were rejected.

May 20, 2013
A gay Muslim answers the imams trying to stop equal marriage

Muslim leaders in Britain have claimed introducing gay marriage would undermine traditional families and take away parents’ and teachers’ rights

Gay Star News yesterday (19 May) reported Muslim leaders representing tens of thousands worshippers in the UK have banded together against gay marriage.

In what British right-wing newspaper The Telegraph calls ‘an unprecedented intervention from the British Muslim community,’ over 500 imams have signed a letter to express ‘serious misgivings’ about Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron’s gay marriage bill.

May 20, 2013
Ex Australia's PM Kevin Rudd goes from 'dinosaur' to backing gay marriage

In an unforeseen shift of opinion, Australian MP Kevin Rudd has thrown his full support behind changing federal legislation on same sex marriage

In a blog post, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and leadership rival for current leader Julia Gillard, has declared his support for same-sex marriage.

Rudd, who is a current Australian Labor Party backbencher said: ‘I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage. I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognize same sex marriage.’

May 18, 2013
Australian Opposition leader under pressure after French marriage vote

Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott’s electorate office has been picketed by over 100 people calling for him to allow a free vote on marriage equality after France legalized same-sex marriage

Australian supporters of marriage equality have picketed the electorate office of Opposition leader Tony Abbott to mark the signing into law of same-sex marriage by French President Francois Hollande.

Over 120 people gathered today outside Abbott’s Manly electorate office to highlight the fact that Australia is increasingly out of step with its international peers, with same-sex marriage legislation passing in New Zealand last month and France becoming the 14th country to allow same-sex couples.

May 14, 2013
Italian PM blocks gay unions plan from his own equality minister

The new government has censored the Equality Minister Josefa Idem, who proposed a same-sex unions bill

The new Italian government has stopped new Equality Minister Josefa Idem from pushing forward a new law on same-sex civil unions.

The new Prime Minister Enrico Letta said: ‘This is not on the government’s agenda.’

Interviewed by the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, Idem, who’s a former Olympic champion, said: ‘We don’t want class B citizens.

‘All citizens should have the same rights and the same duties. We have to start from civil unions, then we will able to speak about something else.’

May 9, 2013
Singapore pastor calls LGBT rights movement the 'onslaught of the evil one'

Faith Community Baptist Church pastor Lawrence Khong says that the devil is behind LGBT people asking for rights

A Singaporean pastor has delivered a sermon titled God's Pattern for Marriage in front of 3,000 people in which he called the LGBT movement 'diabolical'.

'I believe that God has awakened to face one of the greatest attacks on the family by the evil one,' said Lawrence Khong.

Khong also called the LGBT rights movement the 'onslaught of the evil one'.

May 7, 2013
UK politician angered at anti-gay marriage comments on ballot papers

Voters expressed their opposition to the pro equal marriage councillors views when electing him to Leicestershire County Council

An anonymous Conservative politician said he was upset at anti same-sex marriage comments left next to his name on election papers.

He was elected to Leicestershire County Council in the UK’s local elections held last Thursday (3 May).

May 6, 2013
Anti-gay coalition win election in Malaysia

Ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, who regularly support anti-gay policies, will return to government in Malaysia - but several vocally homophobic politicians lose their seats
 

The coalition who have ruled Malaysia for 56 years, Barisan Nasional (BN), won yesterday's general election.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has frequently spouted anti-gay rhetoric during the election campaign and before, keeps his position as leader of the country.

May 6, 2013
British PM David Cameron pressured by own party: ‘Drop gay marriage bill’

Prime Minister David Cameron is urged his own Tory MPs to drop the gay marriage bill to secure Conservative seats in next year’s elections

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been told by his own party members to scrap the gay marriage bill.

According to According to British newspaper The Telegraph, former defense minister Sir Gerald Howarth urged Cameron to drop the gay marriage bill in order to appease Tory members considered at risk of switching support to leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage.

May 4, 2013
Australian Opposition Leader called out on opposition to free vote on marriage by activists

Australian equal marriage activists say that if Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott is so sure few of his MPs will vote for marriage equality then why not let them

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has ruled out a free vote in the Australian Parliament on same-sex marriage before 2016 if he is elected Prime Minister and says that so few of his MPs would vote for it that it would not pass now.

'I don't think anyone should expect that this is necessarily going to come up in the next parliament,' Abbott told Fairfax newspapers.

May 3, 2013
Boy, 3, has adorable tantrum for gay marriage

An Australian couple was talking to their son about marriage and he had a tantrum when told he was not allowed to have a husband

A three-year-old boy is incredibly upset about one thing, and it is not about juice boxes or wanting to play video games.

He’s said same-sex marriage is still not legal in Australia, and he will definitely make his voice heard.

In the video below, an Australian couple is discussing marriage with their son, and he says he would quite like to ‘marry Mommy’ but is told he can’t because she ‘already has a husband’.

But when he is told Prime Minister Julia Gillard will not let him have a husband either, a temper tantrum follows.

April 30, 2013
Australian PM and opposition leader rule-out gay marriage vote

Political leaders say no to a referendum on gay marriage in Australia, religious groups against marriage equality support a vote on the issue

Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott have ruled out a referendum on same-sex marriage in September.

Independent MP Tony Wilson yesterday suggested holding a referendum on the matter on the same day as the general election, 14 September.

April 29, 2013
No gay marriage in the Cook Islands, says prime minister

Despite ties to New Zealand, the Cook Islands will not proceeding with legalizing gay marriage

The prime minister of the Cook Islands, Henry Puna, said they will not be following New Zealand into legalizing gay marriage, despite the islands ties to the Pacific nation.

Puna said the Cook Islands 'Christian values' and 'tradition' prevent it from adopting marriage equality, Radio New Zealand International reports.

April 27, 2013
World’s first openly lesbian prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir quits politics

Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has stepped down after four years in power as the world’s first openly gay or lesbian leader of a country

Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir retired from politics yesterday ahead of general elections today.

Sigurdardottir became the world’s first openly gay or lesbian head of state in February of 2009 when she was appointed Prime Minister of Iceland after Independence Party leader Geir Haarde resigned over his handling of the country’s then financial crisis.

Iceland’s voters gave her appointment the seal of approval two month later, giving her the task of fixing the country’s financial crisis.

April 25, 2013
Berlusconi's hometown gives gays local marriage rights

The small town of Arcore, near Milan, is where the 'bunga-bunga' prime minister owns his enormous villa

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s hometown has introduced an official register for its same-sex couples.

The small town of Arcore, near Milan, northern Italy, is where Berlusconi lives most of the year.

In the sprawling villa, surrounded by enormous grounds, he allegedly organized his ‘bunga-bunga’ parties.

The register was voted in by the left-wing majority of the council, but the mayor, Rosalba Colombo, refused to intervene or comment.

April 22, 2013
Albania’s prime minister strongly supports the gay community

Dr. Sali Berisha, Albania’s prime minister, expressed his support of LGBT rights and gay marriage

Albanian Prime Minister, Dr. Sali Berisha met with local gay activists expressing his full support for LGBT rights in the country.

In the first ever meeting of its kind, Berisha, of the right-wing Democratic Party, welcomed today (22 April) two Albanian LGBT activists, Xheni Karaj and Kristi Pinderi.

He is the first Albanian PM to do so, after being the first Albanian politician to have declared himself in favor of same sex marriage, almost 4 years ago, after the elections of 2009.

April 22, 2013
Call for gay marriage supporters to lobby Britain’s House of Lords

Veteran activist Peter Tatchell warns Lords may veto same-sex marriage bill. Others say that risk is tiny – although amendments are likely

Veteran gay rights activist Peter Tatchell wants supporters to lobby the House of Lords warning they may veto same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales.

The upper house of the UK parliament will likely debate the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill next month, although dates have not yet been set.

But while it is possible the Lords may amend the bill’s details, other experts believe the chances of a veto are tiny.

April 22, 2013
NZ 'big gay rainbow' MP invited to appear on Ellen show

Overnight gay rights hero, New Zealand's minister for customs Maurice Williamson, invited to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

New Zealand MP Maurice Williamson, who spoke about a 'big gay rainbow' in parliament last week, has been invited to Los Angeles to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Prime Minister John Key gave permission for Williamson to travel to the US for the show after concerns that accepting the flights and payment for the show would be against ministerial rules.

April 21, 2013
Australian Opposition Leader admits he can’t hold his party back on gay marriage forever

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has conceded that he cannot stop his party from eventually supporting marriage equality despite his personal opposition on the issue

The man tipped to be Australia’s next Prime Minister has conceded that he cannot stop his party from eventually supporting marriage equality despite his personal opposition to it.

Australian Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott told Sky News, ‘I can't pretend to bind my party for all time,’ when asked if the Liberal-National Party Coalition might change its stance on gay marriage.

‘It will depend on the view of the post-election party room.’

April 20, 2013
Chinese lesbian couple greets Icelandic PM with street wedding

Many passers-by don’t know how to respond but a few approach the ‘newly-weds’ for photos and to show support

A lesbian couple has held a ‘wedding’ in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to welcome Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir and her wife.

The couple identified as Xiaoyang and Xiaoxiao went to Guangzhou’s High Street Wednesday morning (17 April) in white wedding gowns holding hands and kissing, Yang Cheng Evening News reports.

April 18, 2013
Australian Greens to push for recognition of overseas gay marriages

Senator Sarah-Hanson Young says she will introduce bill to recognize overseas same-sex marriages in Australia when parliament reopens on 14 May

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said this morning that she will introduce a bill that will allow international same-sex marriages to be legally recognized in Australia.