Australians will decide gay marriage in a plebiscite

Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has promised to legalize gay marriage if a majority support it in a popular vote.

He declared: "If the majority of people voting in the plebiscite vote in favor of it, then same-sex marriage will be legalized".

Plebiscites are used to judge the will of the Australian people in areas of the law that are not covered by the constitution, but, unlike a referendum, cannot change the law by themselves.

Turnbull supports gay marriage but his ruling coalition is divided on the issue.

It's time Australia!

The state of LGBT equality in the U.S.

Out and Equal, an organization dedicated to measuring and extending equality within the workplace and business world, used date compiled from across the country to create a map that skews the representation of states in accordance with their approach to LGBT people. 

The markers used were family status, non-discrimination policies, safety, health, and the ability to appropriately self-identify on ID cards and documentation. 

The two worst states in the union, it was found, are Tennessee and Alabama.

2015 was a year of great progress for LGBT rights in the U.S., but there is still have a long way to go. 

Photographies against homophobia

Photographer Olivier Ciappa started his "Imaginary Couples" photo series several years ago to address homophobia at a time when his native France was plagued by anti-gay protests leading up to the inevitable legalization of marriage equality. 

He shot straight celebrities including Eva Longoria and singer Lara Fabian, as well as a number of other actors, athletes and entertainers portraying positive images of same-sex couples.

"The celebrities that I shot are heterosexual, but it was essential to me that you would believe these imaginary couples and families they portray were real", Ciappa told.

"If you couldn’t identify with their love and feel it was real, then I would have failed. And to show that love is love, no matter who, the exhibition also features real gay families, straight ones, single parents, disabled, people of different skin colors and origins, different religion, young couples, old ones…", he added.

Athens Mayor performs first gay civil union in Greece

Greek same-sex couples began entering into civil unions on Monday after the legislation passed in December by the Greek Parliament came into effect.

The first civil union ceremony was conducted by Athens’ Mayor Giorgos Kaminis. He tweeted a photograph of himself signing the couple’s civil union certificate.

"As the first day that the law is being implemented, today is very important for civil rights in Greece and the country’s compliance to international reality", Kaminis said during the ceremony which was held in his office in Athens City Hall.

Congrats!

Kaminis' tweet

A Canadian NHL team uses Pride Tape for first time

The Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to use Pride Tape, a multicolored tape to promote inclusiveness in sports. The Oilers used the tape during their annual Skills Competition at Rexall Place. 

Pride Tape is described as a badge of support from the teammates, coaches, parents and pros to young LGBTQ players. It shows every player that they belong on the ice, that everyone is on the same team and your help is needed to make it a reality.

Defenseman Andrew Ference said: “Many view professional hockey players as role models and our team felt this was a great initiative to let every person know they’re welcome in the game of hockey”. And he added: “We’re all proud to play for a team and city that supports diversity and human rights”.

Other teams do similar actions, for example a Swedish hockey team wears rainbow uniforms in support of LGBT community, and a Spanish premier league soccer team unveils a new away kit to challenge homophobia.

Defenseman Andrew Ference supports Pride Tape

Italians urge the government to legalize same-sex civil unions

Tens of thousands of Italians have taken to the streets to push the Government to legalise same-sex civil unions.

Across Italy, supporters of civil unions carried rainbow-colored flags, balloons and alarm clocks to show it was time for Italy to ‘wake up’ to the need for a law on civil unions.

The bill for civil unions, introduced by Premier Matteo Renzi’s Government, will be debated on 28 January in the Senate. The bill would legalize civil partnership for same-sex as well as unmarried heterosexual couples.

Justice Minister Andrea Orlando has said Italy must introduce same-sex civil unions to be compliant with the Strasbourg court.

Italy is the only major country in western Europe to not to give same-sex couples any legal recognition or protection on issues from pensions to parenthood.

It´s time Italy!

Rallies held across country demanding 

legal recognition for same-sex couples

Aussie Midsumma Festival is Back

Melbourne’s biggest LGBT festival is officially back. Midsumma Festival has been held annually since 1988. 

The annual celebration of all things LGBT in the Australian city, which commonly attracts over 100,000, has been blessed with sunny weather.

Melbourne's Queer community and friends come together for this collaborative, innovative celebration of queer arts and culture, presented over three weeks from mid January to early February every year.

On Sunday 31 January 2016, Midsumma Pride March will celebrate its 21st Anniversary, 

Melbourne's iconic annual Midsumma Pride March recognises and celebrates Victoria's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, while remembering the road travelled on the journey to equality. The theme for 2016 is "Marriage Equality".

It´s time Australia!

U.S. Vice President Biden supports LGBT rights in Davos

 

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has told business people at the World Economic Forum in Davos to bring do more to combat homophobia and transphobia in countries where LGBT people face discrimination and persecution.

In a speech to executives, which included the CEO of Coca Cola, the co-founder of Airbnb, and representatives from Google and Microsoft, Biden said: "When it comes to LGBT rights in workplace, the world is looking to you. I know that sounds like hyperbole, sounds like an exaggeration. But they look to you".

And he added: "You have more impact than anything the federal government has done, or the Supreme Court of the United States has done, or that Barack Obama or Joe Biden have done lighting up the White House. You have more impact. You have more impact in countries around the world than we do on those social issues".

Well said Mr Biden.

LGBT rights were on the official agenda of

the World Economic Forum for the first time

First anti-gay marriage bill rejected in Tennessee

A controversial bill that would have nullified the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on gay marriage in Tennessee was rejected in the committee stage.

 

The state house’s civil justice subcommittee voted 4-1 against the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act, sponsored by Republican Rep Mark Pody, who said God told him to file the bill because gay marriage was ‘wicked’.

 

Six counties passed resolutions in support of the measure bill and 80% of voters approved a similar amendment to the state constitution in 2006.

 

This is the first vote this year on the nearly 100 anti-LGBT bills being considered across 24 states.

 

Good news from Tennessee.

Same love, same rights

Blued, the main gay dating app in China, reaches 22 million users

China’s homegrown hookup app Blued will be a stiff competitor to Grindr in the local market. One in every two gay men in China use the app according to the company, which was founded in 2012.

Blued announced the day after Grindr’s sale to a Chinese gaming company that users topped 22 million in 2015, with 10 million logging in every day, up from 15 million the previous year.

Nearly half of all users are 18-25 years old, and most of them are concentrated in economically developed, densely population and socially tolerant areas, on the east coast and metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Blued also rolled out internationally in 2015, and claims 5 million users in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Europe.

Last week, Blued was named one of China’s 100 most promising startups of 2015 by Cyzone, having raised $30 million the previous year.

Geng Le, the founder of Blued

Breaking news: Russia's Parliament rejected the coming out ban bill

A Duma's committee, the Russia’s lower house of parliament, today rejected a bill that would have fined and jailed LGBT people for coming out.

 

The bill, initiated by lawmakers from the Communist Party, called for a fine of up to 5,000 rubles (about $80) for publicly expressing personal "nontraditional sexual orientation". According to the draft bill, the punishment would have been up to 15 days in prison for people who come out as homosexual.

 

Remember that the Duma passed in 2013 a shameful law that bans the promotion of "gay propaganda” to minors.

Shame over shame!

Italy PM Renzi thinks civil unions law will be approved soon

Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, has complained that the country does not have legislation on homosexual unions and expressed confidence that the law could be approved soon. This law is one of the priorities for Renzi in 2016.

 

"We are the only country in Europe without a law on civil unions and we want to remedy the delay. The true is in a few weeks we will finally approve a long-awaited law for decades", said Renzi.

 

"I hope the debate in the coming days focuses on the real issues and does not become an ideological battle. The matter is not simple and, although on many points the agreement seems solid,  there is still a wide gap in some issues", he added.

 

Not only the conservative sectors oppose the law, Renzi will face its ally in government, the new center-right, and the opposition of the Catholic wing of his party, contrary to some aspects of this bill, such as allowing a member of a gay couple to adopt the child of his spouse.

 

Last July, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy for discriminating against LGBT people by not recognizing same-sex relationships, and urged the country to legalize civil unions between same-sex couples.

 

Rome and several major Italian cities and regions have already established civil union registries, but they only have symbolic value and are not legally binding.

 

 

It's time Italy!

Teen Wolf's Charlie Carver comes out

Charlie Carver, well known for his roles on The Leftovers and Teen Wolf, has just come out as gay in a multi-part post on his Instagram account.

 

“As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I knew I wanted to be a lot of things! I thought I wanted to be a painter, a soccer player, a stegosaurus… But the acting thing stuck. It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade”, the 27-year-old actor wrote.

 

“Over time, this abstract ‘knowing’ grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: ‘I am gay.’ I said them to myself at first, to see how they felt. They rang true, and I hated myself for them. I was twelve. It would take me a few years before I could repeat them to anyone else, in the meantime turning the phrase over and over in my mouth until I felt comfortable and sure enough to let the words pour out again, this time to my family…”

Who cares who you love, just be happy!

Taiwan's new president supports marriage equality

Taiwan made a bold step today by electing Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party as President. As well as being the country’s first female President, Ms Tsai is an outspoken independence campaigner who has called for the country to gain more autonomy from China.

 

She is also a strong advocate for LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. In a video released on Chinese Valentine’s Day last year, she featured three same-sex couples alongside straight ones.

 

She has also pledged her support for the country’s Pride parade, lighting up her party HQ in the colours of the rainbow flag.

 

Ms Tsai said: “I support marriage equality. Every person should be able to look for love freely, and freely seek their own happiness”.

German Evangelical Church will marry same-sex couples

A group of Evangelicals controlling 719 parishes in west Germany have said they will start marrying gay and lesbian couples.

 

The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Germany’s second-biggest territorial church, voted on the decision during their synod.

 

Until now, gay couples could only receive a consecration or blessing, which does not count as a religious ceremony. The new change in church constitution abolishes this separation.

 

During a debate, members said there was no legal or theological reason for a different treatment of married couples and those living in a civil partnership.

 

It's time Germany!

President Obama doesn't forget LGBT people in his last State of the Union Speech

President Barack Obama's 2016 State of the Union address touched on the progress made on LGBT rights in the United States after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015.

 

Obama's comments conclude a years-long span of State of the Union references to gay men and women, including the eventual repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and on to the fight for marriage equality.

 

The president Obama's words:

 

"In fact, it’s that spirit that made the progress of these past seven years possible. It’s how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. It’s how we reformed our health care system, and reinvented our energy sector; how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops and veterans, and how we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love."

 

"It won’t be easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I’ll be right there with you as a citizen -- inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far. Voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed."

 

"It’s the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is, and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he’s been taught."

Obama's Administration has been the first ally of gay americans

Russia will vote to ban gay people

Russia’s Duma will vote on banning gay citizens from coming out on January 19th.

Two senior Russian Communist MPs Ivan Nikitchuk and Nikolai Arefyev have presented a bill calling for people who come out as homosexual to serve up to 15 days behind bars.

 

Any public displays of affection among gay men will result in jail time and a fine of 5,000 rubles ($80). The proposed bill is only targeting gay men as women, according to the lawmakers, are more “reasonable” and can “manage their emotions”.

“We have our own idea of honor and conscience, and we must respect tradition. The scum that comes to us from the West is unnatural to Russia. These unconventional sexual desires do nothing but disgust normal, smart, healthy people”, Nikitchuk said.

From bad to worse in Russia.

Pope Francis' book calls Catholics to accept LGBT people

Pope Francis has called for the Catholic Church to be more welcoming to LGBT people in a new book.

The pontiff, said in the new book The Name of God is Mercy, that the Church needs to be more compassionate to a “wounded humanity”.

In the book, the Pope reiterates the statement he is often quoted on, when he said “who am I to judge”, about gay people. He writes: “People should not be defined only by their sexual identities”.

The book will be released on Tuesday, in order to coincide with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, a year in which Catholics are called on to seek forgiveness, as well as to forgive others.

Francis goes on to criticised those in the Church “who are only used to having things fit into their pre-conceived notions and ritual purity instead of letting themselves be surprised by reality, by a greater love or a higher standard”.

Is this a true mercy?

Emotional Flashmob Gay Marriage Proposal

For months, Mark has been planning this flash mob proposal to the love of his life, Yuval. 

To set the scene, it was a rare spring-like day in NYC. Mark and Yuval’s family made plans to go to brunch at Bubby’s Restaurant, near Gansevoort Plaza, in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. 

As Mark and Yuval arrived for their brunch, Yuval heard a familiar song playing. “That’s our song!” he said to Mark, unaware that the flashmob he began to witness was meant for him. 

Even as he saw friends of his dancing in the streets, Yuval had no idea he was about to be proposed to. When the dancers pulled Mark into their performance, Yuval finally understood what was happening. 

It was Mark´s marriage proposal. Awesome!

Mark

Yuval

The couple with some friends and dancers