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HI: Senate Passes Civil Unions Bill With Veto-Proof Majority

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

The Hawaii Senate has approved same-sex civil unions, setting up the measure for final passage. The Senate passed the bill on an 18-7 vote, moving it to the House and signaling that the Senate’s Democratic majority has enough votes to override a possible veto from Republican Gov. Linda Lingle.

The House has yet to decide if it will vote on the bill. House leaders say they will take up the bill if they have a veto-proof two-thirds majority but may let it die if they have only a small majority.

“It’s very close,” said Democratic Speaker of the House Calvin Say. “During an election year, this issue is so divisive that it may hurt many of our members.”

Full Story from the Daily Record

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Posted in civil unions bill, hawaii, hi, passes, senate, veto proof majority | No Responses »

Austria: Parliament Passes Gay Civil Unions Bill

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Austria’s parliament passed legislation Thursday allowing homosexual couples to enter into civil unions, a move hailed by proponents as a historic win for gay rights in the country. The bill, slated to become law Jan. 1., will give same-sex couples a series of rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, including access to a pension if one partner dies and alimony in the event of a split. It bans the adoption of children or artificial insemination.

“We are living in the 21st century and I’m very glad this step is being taken today,” Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner said during parliamentary debate leading up to the vote.

Christian Hoegl, co-president of the Homosexual Initiative Vienna, Austria’s oldest group of gays and lesbians, agreed.

Full Story from the AP: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDt8Yq8oetIOgJKLxdZGsNAvWNDwD9CGHIAO1

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in austria, bill, civil unions, Gay Marriage, law, parliament, passes | No Responses »

DC: City Council Votes Yes on Gay Marriage

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

The D.C. City Council voted 11-2 in favor of same-sex marriage Tuesday morning. It was the first of two votes on the issue allowing same-sex marriage in the nation’s capital.

The bill sponsored by openly gay Councilman David Catania had been expected to pass for some time, as 10 of the 13 council members supported its introduction. Only Councilman Marion Barry and Councilwoman Yvette Alexander voted against it Tuesday.

The final vote is expected later this month, and Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he will sign the bill.

Full Story from NBC Washington: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/DC-Council-Votes-11-2-in-Favor-of-Same-Sex-Marriage-78231227.html

Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington, DC.

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Posted in bill, dc, district of columbia, gay marroage, passes, washington | No Responses »

FL: Tampa Approves Expansion of Anti Discrimination Laws to Transgender Citizens

Friday, November 20th, 2009

On Thursday the Tampa City Council voted to expand anti-discrimination laws to include transgender individuals. The 5-1 vote came after two hours and more than 60 speakers spoke expressed their thoughts and feelings on the issue in what at times seemed to be a festival of hate and ignorance.

Before the meeting, the only drama in the room was who if any Council members would reverse their vote from two weeks prior, when they had voted unanimously to include gender identity and expression in the city’s human rights law, which would effectively prohibit workplace discrimination against people who change genders.

Councilman Charlie Miranda was the lone member who switched his vote and voted no. (Councilmember Linda Saul-Sena was absent). He seemed unsatisfied by the answers given by City Attorney Chip Fletcher about how the new law could avoid potential disruptions in the workplace before casting his dissenting vote.

Full Story from Creative Loafing: http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/11/19/after-two-hours-of-ignorance-and-prejudice-tampa-city-council-appproves-transgendered-people-to-human-rights-ordinance/

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To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in fl, florida, non discrimination law, passes, tampa, transgender | No Responses »

US House committee Passes Domestic Partner Benefits Bill

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

After a sometimes contentious debate, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed a bill Nov. 18 that would expand domestic benefits to include same-sex partners, according to the Washington Post.
The 23-12 vote on H.R. 2517, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, broke down along party lines, with Democrats prevailing. Republicans said the expansion would undermine the traditional concept of marriage being between a man and a woman.

In a statement, lesbian U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said, “Today’s actions mark another significant step in our march toward LGBT equaliy. Our movement is gaining momentum around the country and Congress is following the will of the people.”

Full Story from the Windy City Times: http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23567

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in bill, committee, domestic partner benefits, house of representatives, passes, us | No Responses »

New York State Assembly Passes Gay Marriage Bill Again

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Last night, the State Assembly voted to approve the gay marriage bill. PolitickerNY reports the vote occurred “after four hours of debate and a technical problem that crashed the chamber’s electronic voting mechanisms.”

Previously, in 2007, the Assembly passed a similar bill 85-61; this year, three Democrats switched their votes from no to yes as did two Republicans.

One, Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Hamptons), explained, “There’s that little voice inside of you that tells you when you’ve done something right, and when you’ve done something wrong. That vote just never felt right to me. That little voice kept gnawing away at me.”

Full Story from the Gothamist: http://gothamist.com/2009/05/13/state_assembly_passes_gay_marriage.php

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in gay marriage bill, new york, ny, passes, state assembly, votes | No Responses »