Poll: Over half of voters in Arizona want to legalise equal marriage

The poll found that 55% of Arizonans were in favour of equal marriage, with 35% opposed and 10% were unsure. ...

Pink News • May 16, 2013

Poll: More New Zealanders support equal marriage than oppose it

The poll, commissioned by Family First, and run by Curia Market Research in February, found that, out of 1000 respondents, 47% were in support of equal marriage, and 43% thought that civil partnerships were sufficient for gay couples. ...

Pink News • Feb 26, 2013

Poll: 75% of Irish people support equal marriage

Support for equal marriage has risen substantially in Ireland, and now three quarters of the population would vote yes in a referendum to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, a new poll suggests. The Millward Brown poll, commissioned by Marriage Equality Ireland, has shown that the percentage of people in support of equal marriage had risen by 12%, since 2008, and in 2012 was 75%....

Pink News • Jan 30, 2013

Survey: Three in five people in Wales support equal marriage

A major poll conducted by YouGov for Stonewall Cymru has revealed that three in five people in Wales support government plans to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples. Stonewall Cymru's first ever polling of Welsh public attitudes, for its Living Together report, shows that more than three quarters of Welsh adults under 50 now support the proposal....

Pink News • Jan 15, 2013

Poll: Support for marriage equality in Poland doubled over nine years, but remains low

According to a new poll, support for equal marriage in Poland has doubled since 2003, but still remains low. The poll by TNS Polska indicated that in 2003, 8% of Polish people supported marriage equality, which had risen to 16% in 2012, reports Polskie Radio. ...

Pink News • Jan 9, 2013

60% of British voters support David Cameron's plans for same-sex marriage

The poll found that 60% agreed with making same-sex marriage legal. A further 21% said that they only support civil partnerships for gay couples. Only 19 % said they were opposed to any legal recognition of gay relationships. ...

Pink News • Dec 17, 2012

England: Government consultation: 53% in favour of equal marriage

In a blow to the opponents of equality, the results of this year's government consultation show 53% are in favour of the introduction of equal marriage. The results have been released as part of the government's official response to the consultation exercise. Culture Secretary Maria Miller has confirmed that full marriage equality will be introduced for gay couples living in England and Wales ne...

Pink News • Dec 14, 2012

France sets date to say 'oui' for equal marriage

France has named October 31 as the date when a draft law authorising equal marriage will be approved by government ministers. ...

Pink News • Oct 11, 2012

Poland moves towards introducing civil partnerships

Poland's ruling centre-right party, Platforma Obywatelska (PO), has announced that it will introduce legislation allowing gay couples to have civil unions. It's being seen as a step forward for gay rights in the Eastern European country - although it falls far short of marriage equality, and the measure is facing stiff opposition from social conservatives....

Pink News • Sep 4, 2012

Scottish government will bring forward equal marriage legislation

Equal marriage advocates have welcomed the Scottish government's much-awaited announcement this morning that it will be bringing forward legislation to allow gay couples to marry and remove current barriers for trans people. ...

Pink News • Jul 30, 2012

New Zealand: Prime minister to support MP's equal marriage bill

New Zealand's prime minister, John Key, has said he will support a member's bill selected for a vote in the House of Representatives that would legalise marriages between two people of the same sex. Labour MP Louisa Wall had submitted a member's bill which would allow gay couples to marry and trans people to avoid divorcing their spouses before having their gender legally recognised....

Pink News • Jul 30, 2012

Poll: Third of gay and trans Canadians in a same-sex marriage

A Canadian poll has suggested that 5 percent of the 34 million people living in Canada identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and that a third of those are in a gay marriage. ...

Pink News • Jul 11, 2012

3,000 gay couples marry in New York

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, the number of gay weddings since June 24th 2011 stands at 3,037, not including New York City....

Pink News • Jul 9, 2012

Irish Deputy Prime Minister: 'Gay marriage is the civil rights issue of this generation'

Mr Gilmore, who is the leader of the Irish Labour Party and serves as Deputy Prime Minister in a Coalition Government said that politicans should no longer dictate who people fall in love with or who they decide to spend their lives with. "I believe in gay marriage," he said. "The right of gay couples to marry is, quite simply, the civil rights issue of this generation, and, in my opinion, it's t...

Pink News • Jul 2, 2012

Poll: Record 64 percent support for equal marriage in Scotland

A new survey of Scottish people suggests that almost two in three support equal marriage, with only one in four expressing opposition, PinkNews.co.uk can reveal. A poll conducted by Ipsos-MORI on behalf of the Equality Network, an advocacy group, reveals that 64% of Scots supported equal marriage, with only 26% remaining opposed. In addition, the survey finds that 68% believe that religious orga...

Pink News • Jun 19, 2012

Catholic Voices poll: '77 percent' of gay and bisexual Britons disagree with marriage ban

From the report, it appears only 26 percent of gays agreed with the idea that as civil partnerships already provided the legal benefits of marriage, there was "no need" to change the law. 49 percent rejected that argument, with 25 percent unsure....

Pink News • Jun 8, 2012

Danish parliament approves equal marriage laws

The Danish parliament has approved equal marriage laws 85 to 24 today, reports said today. Members of the sole house of the Folketing approved the gender-neutral marriage legislation today after an opposition amendment creating a separate system of marriage for gay couples under different terminology was rejected yesterday. The new law is due to come into effect on 15 June this year, b.dk report...

Pink News • Jun 7, 2012

US: Poll finds majority support for equal marriage

While in 2004, the support for equal marriage stood at 31% and the opposition at 60%, in 2008, the division stood at 39% in favour and 51% opposed. Now, it stands at 47% in support and 43% opposed, marking the first time an admittedly slim majority favoured what the survey terms as 'gay marriage.' ...

Pink News • Apr 26, 2012

Poll: 65 percent of British agree gays should have equal right to marry

Over the weekend, the Populus poll asked a thousand voters in Scotland, England and Wales what they thought of such a move, proposals for which have been formally unveiled as part of a public consultation by the government for England and Wales today. The majority of those asked in the phone poll agreed with the statement: "Gay couples should have an equal right to get married, not just to have c...

Pink News • Mar 16, 2012

Nick Clegg: Marriage equality by 2015

At the Liberal Democrats' Spring Conference this weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg promised the UK's first gay marriage would take place before 2015 as a result of Liberal Democrats being in government. ...

Pink News • Mar 13, 2012

Polls: More support gay couples marrying in the UK than oppose

The poll shows that 45 per cent supporting the move in principle, while just 36 per cent oppose it. The rest of those asked had no firm view. Women are more strongly in favour than men. A similar poll by YouGov for the Sunday Times found 43 per cent in favour of same sex marriage, 32 percent in favour of just civil partnerships and just 15 per cent opposed to both....

Pink News • Mar 12, 2012

Stonewall publishes draft marriage equality bill

Gay rights charity Stonewall has published a draft marriage bill which it says contains the provisions necessary to extend equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. The bill would retain civil partnerships for gay couples and give civil partners the option of converting their union to a marriage. The two-page bill lists five legislative steps necessary to implement equal marriage and comes ahea...

Pink News • Feb 16, 2012

UK study: 61% of Christians back equal rights for gay couples

Results of a poll released today say 61% of people in the UK who identify as Christian back fully equal rights for gay couples. The 2011 Ipsos MORI study explored the "beliefs, knowledge and attitudes" of people who identified as Christian after the nationwide census last year....

Pink News • Feb 14, 2012

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