Gay Marriage Watch

More than 5000 people have gathered in front of the Sydney Opera House to be photographed nude in the name of art and diversity today. A pregnant woman was among the first group of Australians to take their place on the steps of the Opera House just after dawn in photographer Spencer Tunick’s latest installation, Mardi Gras: The Base.

Mardi Gras festival executive producer Danielle Harvey said 5200 people, including sportspeople, doctors, teachers and retirees, had lined up to take part. “We were expecting 2000 or so … we’re absolutely thrilled,” Ms Harvey said.

Tan lines were the most prominent feature of the Australian line up, which whooped and cheered its way onto the Opera House forecourt in lines in cool, cloudy conditions.

Full Story from the Sydney Morning Herald
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Amnesty International has called on the authorities of Lithuania to remove all restrictions on the distribution of public information relating to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people decreed in a new law. The controversial “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information” enters into force next Monday, 1 March.

“This law will violate the freedom of expression and will directly discriminate against people on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said John Dalhuisen, expert on discrimination at Amnesty International.

“It will stigmatize gay and lesbian people and exposes advocates for their rights to the risk of censorship and financial penalties. This law is an anachronism in the European Union.”

Full Story from Amnesty International
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Ulrike Lunacek, the MEP who is co-president of the European Parliament’s all-party ‘Intergroup’ for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, today told Macedonian politicians that there was no opting-out from fundamental human rights as Macedonia continues the process of accession to the European Union.

She was speaking to members of the Committee for Protection of Freedom and Rights of the Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia during a public debate on a proposed anti-discrimination law. This proposed law falls short of European Union standards, notably for its omission of sexual orientation as a ground of discrimination.

The public debate attracted strong interest from national media and civil society representatives, and focused on the proposed anti-discrimination law in the context of the country’s accession to the European Union.

Full Story from UK Gay News
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Using fresh arguments that range from imperiling India’s defence to making its people delusional, 14 new organisations have joined the final legal battle against the decriminalisation of homosexuality. On Saturday, the number of petitioners in the Supreme Court – challenging the July 2009 decision of the Delhi High Court to strike down an anti-sodomy law – stood at 16 from the original two.

Two Christian church coalitions, three Muslim NGOs, two Hindu astrologers, a disciple of yoga guru Baba Ramdev, an NGO run by a former Delhi police officer, and an environmentalist, will be among those in the Supreme Court when it hears an appeal next month against the overturning of the Indian Penal Code’ section 377.

Only one person, film director and Rajya Sabha MP Shyam Benegal, has quietly joined the original petitioner, Delhi NGO Naz Foundation, in support of gay rights in the Supreme Court. With the government saying it will not oppose the Delhi High Court judgement, which experts consider legally strong, the new opponents are readying a range of fresh arguments:

· “Medical opinion” that only the vagina has the muscles required for sex, not the anus (Utkal Christian Foundation, Cuttack)

· Expanding the constitutional right to non-discrimination to include sexual orientation could lead to demands for job reservations (Apostolic Churches Alliance, Thiruvananthapuram)

Full Story from the Hindustan Times
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LGBT folks can expect to get some love not only from their romantic partners this Valentine’s Day but also from a perhaps unexpected source — mainline Protestant churches.

The Believe Out Loud campaign, an interfaith effort launching Sunday, calls on church members and clergy who support LGBT equality to become more vocal and visible, and make it clear that the religious right does not speak for all Christians.

“We want more [LGBT-friendly] people of faith speaking publicly about what they believe,” says Michael Adee, executive director and field organizer for More Light Presbyterians, the LGBT-supportive group within the Presbyterian Church USA, and one of the groups involved in the effort. They need to speak out not only about church policies but also but also civil matters like marriage equality, employment policies, hate crimes, adoption rights, and many others, he says.

Full Story from the Advocate
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The Malawi authorities have told gay activists who put up posters and distribute leaflets on the streets anonymously to “come out in the open”. Government official Kingsley Namakhwa said it was against the law to mount such campaigns anonymously. But he also pointed out that homosexuality was illegal, and anyone promoting it would be prosecuted.

Rights groups have recently criticised Malawi for prosecuting two men who got engaged to each other.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, believed to be the first gay couple in Malawi to start the marriage process, have pleaded not guilty to charges of public indecency. Their trial is due to start soon.

Full Story from BBC News
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There was a time when Britain’s conservative party was much like it’s American counterpart: harshly denunciatory and punitive toward gays, and prone to justifying its stance on dubious notions such as the claim that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice” that might lead to gays trying to “corrupt children.” Indeed, for a quarter-century, a British law–Section 28–made it a criminal offense for schools to “promote” homosexuality or gay and lesbian families–what the law slammed as “pretend families.”

But David Cameron, the Tory politician who is viewed by many as the likely next Prime Minister of Britain, has made it his mission to reach out to gay and lesbian voters, reckoning that plenty of gays share his party’s conservative views–at least, the ones that are not flagrantly anti-gay.

But how sincere is Cameron about wanting what his U.S. counterparts would call a “big tent” that includes GLBT constituents? In an interview published in gay magazine Attitude, journalist Johann Hari asked the question, recalling that until its repeal a decade ago, Cameron was an ardent champion of Section 28. Indeed, in the interview with Cameron, which Hari posted at his own site, the journalist put the question directly to Cameron, who told Hari, “I think now looking back you can see the mistake of Section 28,” a measure that Cameron called “an insult” and “finger-pointing.” Added Cameron, “There’s only one thing worse than making a mistake and that’s not putting your hands up and admitting it.”

Full Story from Edge Boston
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The country’s Anglicans yesterday added their voice against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Like the Catholics before them, the Church of Uganda officially rejected the Bill. They proposed that instead of the death penalty for gays who seduce boys – as the Bill put forward by Ndorwa West David Bahati demands – the law should be changed to ensure that vulnerable boys are properly protected.

Archbishop Luke Orombi, in his first public comments on the controversial Bill, however said they do not recognise homosexuality as “a human right”. “The Church of Uganda believes that homosexual practice is incompatible with the Scripture,” the prelate said in a statement issued yesterday, citing a resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference in Britain.

He added: “At the same time, the Church of Uganda is committed at all levels to offer counseling, healing and prayer for people with homosexual disorientation, especially in our schools and other institutions of learning.”

Full Story from the Daily Monitor
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Malawian police have arrested a man for allegedly putting up posters supporting homosexuality, which is illegal in the southern African nation. Peter Sawali was charged this week with conduct likely to cause breach of peace, said police spokesman Davie Chingwalu.

Sawali, 21, was putting up posters that read, “Gay rights are human rights,” on a busy road in the city of Blantyre, the spokesman said.The man had stacks of glossy posters with the same message in his possession, according to the spokesman. An investigation is under way to seek more suspects, because Sawali said he was not acting alone.

“Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and is punishable by prison time and hard labor,” Chingwalu said. “Basically, he was promoting a criminal act. This is what this is all about.”

Full Story from CNN
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The number of pro-LGBT bills passed at state levels in 2009 totaled more than those passed in 2007 and 2008 combined. That, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign, marks great progress despite a year wherein community members felt stinging defeats. At the same time HRC was releasing its annual rankings of LGBT-friendly companies, the national organization also unveiled its “Equality State by State,” a report of legislative actions across the country written by HRC State Legislative Director Sara Warbelow.

Overall, the LGBT community saw success on state-level legislation. A total of 332 pro-LGBT bills were introduced and 50 were passed. Only 69 negative pieces of legislation were introduced. Of those, only four passed.

Despite a setback in Maine, when voters chose to overturn their state legislature’s decision to offer marriage to all couples, other states and jurisdictions moved forward on marriage. On April 7, 2009, Vermont passed legislation opening marriage to all couples. New Hampshire decided to join Vermont on June 3, 2009. Their law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. And, on Dec. 18, 2009, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed legislation extending marriage rights there. In April, Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a gay couple seeking a marriage license there.

Full Story from QNotes
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