same-sex marriage
Aussie model Aweng Chuol abused online after marrying wife
South Sudanese-Australian supermodel Aweng Chuol has revealed the devastating toll of vicious homophobic abuse she received after marrying her wife. Aweng was born in a refugee camp in Kenya after her family fled a civil war. She moved to Australia at age seven. When Aweng was a teenager, a model scout discovered her while she …
Orange is the New Black star gets engaged to her girlfriend
Orange Is the New Black star Taryn Manning has gotten engaged to her musician girlfriend Anne Cline. The singer-songwriter, who is the lead singer of a band, was performing at a gig at a restaurant in Florida, last Friday. TMZ posted video footage of the couple’s proposal, after which the audience cheered and applauded. Mid-song, …
MP apologises for voting against marriage equality after son comes out
Retiring New Zealand MP Nick Smith has delivered an apology to his country’s LGBTIQ community for voting against same-sex marriage in 2013. The long-serving conservative National Party MP gave his final speech last Thursday (June 10) after announcing his resignation in May. Reflecting on three decades in politics, Smith told New Zealand’s House of Representatives …
Couples wanted for sky-high marriage proposals at Gold Coast Pride Festival
Gold Coast Pride Festival organisers are looking for same-sex couples who want to take the plunge – literally – for a one-of-a-kind skydiving marriage proposal. The brand new Gold Coast Pride Festival is running from May 23 to 30 with a lineup of events planned across the region. Earlier this year, local drag queen Carmen …
Hannah Gadsby got married and has introduced us to her wife Jenney
Hannah Gadsby has announced she married in January and has introduced the world to her new wife, Jenney Shamash. On Thursday, the comedian posted an extremely cute photo to her social media accounts of the two of them eating ice cream at a café. “I’d like to introduce all y’all to Jenney,” Hannah wrote. “She’s …
‘My identity was debated’: ABC’s Patricia Karvelas on covering same-sex marriage
ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas has described covering the 2017 same-sex marriage debate as a difficult period in her long career in journalism. The Afternoon Briefing and RN Drive host reflected on her two decades covering federal politics in a wide-ranging profile for the ABC. Karvelas, who is in a long-term same-sex relationship, explained she found …
Switzerland holding same-sex marriage referendum after opponents force vote
Switzerland’s government has confirmed the public will vote on same-sex marriage after opponents gathered enough support to force a binding referendum. Last December, the Swiss parliament approved a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry. They also passed legislation allowing transgender people to update their legal gender without a costly court application. However in Switzerland, if …
Twenty years ago, the world’s first legal same-sex marriages began
Twenty years ago this week, the world’s first same-sex marriage legislation officially came into effect in the Netherlands. The country’s House of Representatives passed the same-sex marriage bill 109 votes to 33 on September 12, 2000. The Senate followed suit a few months later. The landmark marriage laws granted same-sex couples the same legal rights …
Japanese court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional
A Japanese court has ruled the country’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. The Sapporo court ruled that the ban denies same-sex couples the equality guaranteed under the Japanese constitution. LGBTIQ+ activists across Japan declared the court’s decision both a symbolic victory and a step forward. Same-sex couples across Japan are seeking damages in various district courts …
Elton John claps back at Vatican ‘hypocrisy’ for rejecting same-sex unions
Elton John has called out Pope Francis and the Vatican for its “hypocrisy” over rejecting blessings for same-sex marriages in the Catholic church. This week, the Vatican’s top orthodoxy office formally responded to a question on whether Catholic priests can bless same-sex unions. The official response, approved by Pope Francis, declares priests can’t bless same-sex …