Gay marriage 'sexual chaos' petition put on hold

An anti-marriage equality petition criticised by rights groups for its "outdated, inaccurate and homophobic" views has been put on hold by the Scottish Government until it publishes the results of its consultation. The petition titled 'Preserving Marriage' was submitted to the Scottish Parliament by Amy King, and claims that same-sex couples should not have equal rights to marry because of "poor ...

Pink News • Jan 25, 2012

Gay marriage rifts appear in several US states

Politicians and campaigners in Minnesota, New Jersey and North Carolina on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are gearing up for battle ahead of legislative sessions later this month. ...

Pink News • Jan 19, 2012

New Hungarian constitution comes into effect with same-sex marriage ban

Hungary's new constitution, which bans gay marriage and does not explicitly protect gay people from discrimination, has come into force amid public unrest. The constitution was enacted 262-44 in April of last year, with 80 members of parliament boycotting the drafting and voting process, and took effect on 1 January 2012....

Pink News • Jan 4, 2012

Poll claims only 4% of Lithuanians support same-sex civil unions

A poll by Lithuanian market research company RIAT claims only 4% of the country supports the introduction of civil partnerships for gay couples. The Baltic News Agency-commissioned poll says 70% of the population is in favour of some form of legal recognition for relationships outside marriage, but not for gays....

Pink News • Dec 30, 2011

Scottish Catholic Church uses "hate group" research to fight gay marriage

The Scottish Catholic Church has argued against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, saying "exceptionally hazardous" gay relationships lead to shorter life expectancies, relying on a study which was discredited by its own authors for this purpose ten years ago and a paper authored by the founder of the Family Research Institute, which is designated a "hate group" in the US....

Pink News • Dec 22, 2011

US gay couples "quicker to enter marriage than civil unions"

The data showed that same-sex couples are marrying at higher rates than they are entering civil unions or other legally recognised partnerships, particularly when the options are first introduced by a state. ...

Pink News • Nov 10, 2011

Glasgow council adds support to gay marriage consultation

The motion suggests that the Scottish Government should recognise the "shift in public attitudes within its current consultation on equal marriage", and that establishing equal marriage and mixed sex civil partnerships would "in no way undermine the rights and freedoms of those religious bodies which do not wish to participate in them". The head of the Scottish Episcopal Church also voiced his su...

Pink News • Nov 1, 2011

Gay civil partners 'less likely to split up than straight married couples'

Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that after five years, 5.5 per cent of marriages had ended in divorce and 2.5 per cent of civil partnerships had been dissolved....

Pink News • Sep 23, 2011

Scottish Catholic leader attacks gay marriage

The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has accused marriage equality campaigners of trying to "rewrite nature". In a strongly-worded attack on same-sex marriage, he said the plans would be "strenuously opposed". This week, the SNP government announced a consultation on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to wed....

Pink News • Sep 8, 2011

61 per cent of Scots support gay marriage

According to the 2010 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, published yesterday, 61 per cent of people believe gays and lesbians should have the right to marry....

Pink News • Aug 12, 2011

UN passes gay rights resolution

The UN Human Rights Council has passed a historic resolution calling for universal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. This is the first time the body has passed a resolution which focuses specifically on sexual orientation and gender identity. ...

Pink News • Jun 18, 2011

French parliament rejects gay marriage bill

France has had PACS since 1999. The civil unions are available to straight and gay couples but do not give all the rights of marriage. A survey published on the day of the court verdict by TNS Sofres showed that 58 per cent of 950 respondents were in favour of gay marriage and 35 per cent were against. In 2006, the same agency found that only 45 per cent of respondents agreed with giving gay cou...

Pink News • Jun 16, 2011

Scottish government pledge to begin 'process of consultation' on gay marriage

The newly elected Scottish Government, led by Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party, have said they will begin a consultation on same-sex marriage....

Pink News • Jun 7, 2011

Human Rights Watch urge residents of Liechtenstein to vote 'yes' in referendum over gay partnerships

Human Rights Watch have said that the people of Liechtenstein should vote "yes" in this month's referendum on whether their parliament should proceed to legalise same-sex partnerships. Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch said: "The parliament has already taken the right steps to ensure that everyone in Liechtenstein, regardless of sexual orientation,...

Pink News • Jun 6, 2011

Activists call for gay marriage progress after SNP win

Daniel Donaldson, of the Equality Network, called for fast progress on the matter. He told PinkNews.co.uk: "We were really pleased to see that the SNP manifesto contained a pledge to consult on marriage equality and that Alex Salmond also gave his personal support. "We hope and expect that a consultation will now proceed quickly"...

Pink News • May 7, 2011

Japan's first openly gay politician victorious in election

Taiga Ishikawa, 36, won a seat in a Tokyo ward assembly in the Japanese capital's local elections on Sunday. He is the first openly gay person to hold office in Japan....

Pink News • Apr 28, 2011

Gay marriage rally at Buckingham Palace

PinkNews.co.uk understands that the Liberal Democrats in government and increasingly Tories in the centre - including David Cameron - are minded towards full marriage equality. An amendment in the Equality Act will give gay couples the right to have civil partnerships in religious buildings and ministers hope this provision will be enacted by the end of the year....

Pink News • Apr 22, 2011

Four of five main Scottish parties promise action on gay marriage

The election manifestos of the two largest parties, the SNP and Labour, say they will consult on allowing gay couples to marry. Meanwhile, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats go further. Both promise they will introduce marriage for gay couples and civil partnerships for straight couples. Only the Conservative Party has not mentioned gay rights, marriage equality or equality in general in its m...

Pink News • Apr 21, 2011

Young gay man brutally beaten at New York McDonald's

A young gay man has posted pictures of his injuries on Facebook after he was set upon in an anti-gay attack outside a McDonald's restaurant in New York. Damian Furtch, 26, was sitting in the West Village fast food restaurant with a friend on Sunday evening when two men began to harass him....

Pink News • Apr 1, 2011

Isle of Man legalises gay civil partnerships

Civil partnerships have been signed into law on the Isle of Man. The law comes into effect on April 6th - five years after the UK legalised civil partnerships. The Isle of Man has lagged far behind the UK on gay rights for years. Homosexuality was illegal on the island until 1992 and the age of consent was equalised in 2006....

Pink News • Mar 22, 2011

British Home secretary promises progress on full gay marriage equality

In her first major speech on LGBT rights, the home secretary and minister for equality, Theresa May, has promised action on full gay marriage equality. Mrs May was speaking at an event hosted by the gay lobby group Stonewall. Mrs May spoke on the coalition government's moves to allow religious groups to host civil partnerships. Mrs May said: "No religious group will be forced to host a civil part...

Pink News • Mar 22, 2011

Scottish government advised to legalise gay marriage

A report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says that current law discriminates against gay people and is not supported by public polls. In England and Wales, the UK government has announced plans to hold a consultation on the future of civil partnerships and marriage. As these are devolved issues, the consultation does not apply to Scotland. However, polls of the Scottish publ...

Pink News • Mar 17, 2011

New York governor pledges 'personal' push for gay marriage

According to the New York Times, participants in the meeting said the governor was "unexpectedly forceful and impassioned" about the issue. He is to ask his most senior aide and secretary, Steven M Cohen, to oversee the administration's efforts to bring about marriage equality. Mr Cuomo is said to be cautious of moving too soon, as a bill was defeated on the Senate floor in 2009 after support wa...

Pink News • Mar 12, 2011

Fundraising campaign launched to restore gay marriage in California

The launch was announced yesterday at rallies in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Fresno. Organised by Yes! on Equality and TruthandHope.org, in collaboration with Restore Equality 2010, the goal of the Million for a Million campaign is to raise the $1 million necessary to fund getting the more than one million signatures needed to place a marriage equality initiative on the ballot. How...

Pink News • Nov 8, 2009