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Germany, France Moving on Marriage Equality?

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Marriage Equality in France and Germany?Germany’s Social Democrat opposition (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD) backed marriage equality at its national convention in early December.

The vote from delegates was unanimous that the party should seek to change German law should the party form the next government, almost certainly in alliance with smaller parties which already back gay marriage such as the Greens. They also voted unanimously to end discrimination in adoption law.

Ansgar Dittmar, National Chairman of lesbians and gays in the SPD (Schwusos), said that the party had decided that there was now no more legitimacy in maintaining two parallel institutions of marriage and life partnership.

Full Story from Care2

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Germany: Social Democratic Party Says Yes to Marriage Equality

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Germany Marriage EqualityThe Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has endorsed gay marriage. The SPD is Germany’s oldest and second largest political party. Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) is the country’s dominant party.

At its recent three-day national annual conference held in Berlin, the Social Democrats unanimously agreed to oppose the nation’s ban on gay and lesbian couples marrying.

“The SPD is committed to opening up marriage for same-sex couples. Marriage – as a social institution – must include heterosexual and homosexual couples,” the party’s resolution reads in part.

Full Story from On Top Magazine

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Gay German Couple Who Won Contest Marry Over Europe

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

The German couple recently won SAS’ social media campaign “Love is in the air” with over 80.000 votes from people all over the world.

Besides, Aleksander and Shantu, Ewa Tomaszewicz and Gosia Rawinska were the first lesbian couple to declare their love in the air on the same flight.

The event started in one of the airlines lounges at Stockholm-Arlanda airport, which they turned into a wedding lounge for the occasion. Once airborne, the wedding ceremony began and continued all the way to New York. In New York, the very same evening, VisitSweden hosted the wedding reception.

Full Story from Demotix

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Germany: Church Allows Gay Ministers to Live With Partners

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Gay and lesbian Lutheran ministers in the conservative German state of Bavaria may live with their partners in parish parsonages, but only if they enter into a state-sanctioned civil union.

Although the move may seem bold for what is generally considered one of Germany’s most traditional states, Bishop Johannes Friedrich of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria said it was no great departure from existing policies.

He noted that the church had already welcomed openly gay ministers and same-sex unions. “We had only left out that a couple could live in a civil union in the parsonage,” he said.

Full Story from The Christian Century

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German Court Says Gay Couples Must Have Equal Inheritance Rights

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

The highest court in Germany has ruled that gay couples must be given equal tax inheritance rights. The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe said that gay couples were currently at a marked disadvantage to heterosexual couples.

Germany legalised ‘registered partnerships’ for gay couples in 2001 which offer most of the rights available to straight couples.

The court said that while straight married couples in the most advantageous tax band had to pay between seven and 30 per cent tax, regardless of the amount inherited, couples in registered partnerships had to pay between 17 and 50 per cent tax.

Full Story from Pink News

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Germany: Foreign Minister Marries Partner in Bonn

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has married his long-term partner and businessman Michael Mronz in Bonn, the daily newspaper Bild said in its Saturday edition.

“The marriage was pronounced by the mayor of Bonn, Jurgen Nimptsch… Only close family were present, some 20 people”, the newspaper said, without quoting other sources.

In Germany, gay marriage is not recognised by the state, but since 2001 “registered partnership” for same-sex couples are allowed, which provide some but not all the rights of marriage.

Full Story from Expatica

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Germany: Court Sides With Gays on Inheritance Taxes

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Germany’s highest court has ruled a law which makes homosexuals living in civil partnerships pay higher inheritance tax is unconstitutional. The Federal Constitutional Court said there were no legal grounds for taxing gay people who lost their partner differently from heterosexual married couples, and gave the government until 2011 to compensate those subject to the previous rules.

The Karlsruhe-based court said on Tuesday the fact that heterosexual marriage could produce children did not justify higher taxation for homosexuals over inheritance.

Germany has permitted civil unions for homosexuals since 2001. According to the law, surviving partners had to pay higher inheritance duties, and were also granted a lower tax exemption threshold than their heterosexual counterparts.

Full Story from Reuters

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Germany: Court Calls Gay Marriage Only a “Partnership”

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

A Berlin court declined to set a precedent by recognizing a gay marriage performed in Canada, ruling Tuesday that the union would only be considered a civil partnership in Germany. German law defines marriage as exclusively between men and women. It allows civil partnerships between same-sex couples.

Andreas Boettcher, a 37-year-old German event manager, married his Spanish partner, a dancer and choreographer, in Montreal in July 2006. He asked a Berlin administrative court to recognize the relationship as a marriage after local authorities listed him as “single” on his registration card in November, despite his Canadian marriage certificate and a family registry entry from Spain that names him as the husband of his partner.

Boettcher said the couple, who have been together for 17 years, decided to marry in Canada about six months before they took a trip there to participate in a sporting event.

Full Story from the AP

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Germany: Man Fights to Have Marriage to Partner Recognized

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

A German man is fighting to have his 2006 marriage abroad to his homosexual partner legally recognized in Germany, where the law stipulates a marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

Andreas Boettcher took his case to a Berlin administrative court Tuesday after local authorities refused to register him as married based on a Canadian marriage certificate and a registry entry from Spain that names him as the husband of his Spanish partner. Both Canada and Spain recognize homosexual marriages.

Boettcher says he will fight the case as far as needed in order for his vows to be honored by the state.

[End of Article]

Full Story from the LA Times

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Survey: Attitudes About Homosexuality Improved Dramatically Since 1981, But Not in US

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

I’ve been hip-deep in World Values Survey data the last couple of days while working on a chapter on economic growth and liberalizing value change. Here are charts of trends in several wealthy liberal democracies on attitudes toward homosexuality and prostitution. What you see are changes through the five waves of the WVS in the percentage of the sample in each country that said these things are “Never justifiable” on a 1-10 scale running from “Never” to “Always.”

In the space of about 25 years, the proportion of the population in all these countries saying homosexuality is never justifiable drops precipitously. However, the overall trend in attitudes toward prostitution is not so clear and generally less dramatic. What accounts for the difference? Here are a few possibilities, about which I have no evidence.

(1) Being versus doing. People just are homosexual, and it’s not up to us if we are. Prostitution on the other hand is an activity we can more easily choose to avoid.

Full Story from Will Wilkinson

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