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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.

February 7, 2013
What has to happen now for England and Wales to get gay marriage?

British MPs have voted for gay marriage. But the next stages of the Bill may prove to be a bumpy road through the comitttee stages and the House of Lords

When the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill stormed through the House of Commons on Tuesday (5 February), England and Wales moved a giant step closer to recognizing equal marriage.

The House of Commons vote passed with a majority of 225, with Prime Minister David Cameron and other major party leaders Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg voting in favor.

But despite the support from Members of Parliament (MPs) the bill still has some way to go before it becomes law.

It is now set to be scrutinised line-by-line in the committee stage by a cross-party group of MPs.

August 19, 2012
Australian Parliament to begin debate on marriage equality

The Australian Parliament is set to begin debating legislation to legalize same-sex marriage this week, with debate to begin as soon as Thursday

Debate on a marriage equality bill in the Australian Senate is expected to begin as soon as Thursday, after the bill’s author, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young announced she would use private member’s time to begin the debate.

June 25, 2012
Senate inquiry recommends legalizing gay marriage in Australia

Report from cross-party committee in Australian senate recommends passing Marriage Equality Bill

A report published today by a cross-party panel of senators has given the strongest official endorsement yet into legalizing gay marriage in Australia.

The legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee report has four recommendations, the fourth of which clearly endorses a change in the law to allow gay people to marry. It reads:

May 16, 2012
Britain’s Commons Speaker Bercow calls for gay rights push

John Bercow highlights Britain’s opportunity to listen to and support LGBT rights activists worldwide at Kaleidoscope Trust event

The Speaker of Britain’s House of Commons, John Bercow, has said the Commonwealth should be used to help decriminalize homosexuality in countries around the world.

Bercow, was speaking at an event run by new global LGBT rights organization Kaleidoscospe today (16 May) ahead of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) tomorrow.

Among those in the audience at the Commonwealth Club in central London were Britain’s equality minister, Lynne Featherstone MP, as well as other parliamentarians.