Peruvians March For Marriage Equality

peru story The global fight for marriage equality continues. Political activism is alive and well in Peru and over the weekend thousands of LGBT activists took the streets of Lima. The protest was organized to help shine a light on the country’s backward LGBT policies.  More per On Top Magazine:

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Lima – the capital and largest city of Peru – for LGBT rights on Saturday.

Marchers carrying rainbow flags and posters called for marriage equality. Organizers said that they wanted to send a message to Peru’s next president.

“We want to push for full rights on recognition, marriage equality, gender laws and hate crime laws,” Gabriela Zavaleta, a spokesperson for Matrimonio Igualitario Peru, told reporters at the march.

Out lawmaker Carlos Bruce told demonstrators that those opposed to homosexuality don’t have to sleep with a gay man or lesbian “but they cannot discriminate, cannot reject humans.”

Currently, Peru does not recognize the relationships of gay couples. Gay couples can marry in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and parts of Mexico.

Italy Votes to Approve Same-Sex Civil Unions

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On May 11, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved a civil unions bill which is a huge step towards marriage equality for the staunchly Catholic nation. The vote comes on the heels of months of heated debate, and the law was only passed after a provision for adoption was removed from the original bill.
“The approval of the civil union law is a milestone in the struggle toward legal recognition for same-sex-couples in Italy,” said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch. “But restrictive adoption provisions for same-sex couples deny some children the legal protection and security they deserve.” According to the HRW, “Since 2010, a number of Italian courts have ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to partnership recognition, and major cities, including Rome and Milan, have allowed same-sex couples to symbolically register marriages conducted abroad. In July 2015, the European Court of Human Rights held that Italy violated the right to privacy and family life in failing to provide sufficient and reliable legal protection for same-sex relationships.” It should be noted that civil unions are not the same as same-sex marriage which is legal in the European Union member states of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland.

“The Civil Union Act is a watered down version of a bill first introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party in 2014. While opponents introduced thousands of amendments, the most controversial provision in the original bill would have given a partner in a same-sex couple the right to adopt their partner’s children. In February, the Senate approved a compromise text that removed this option, paving the way for the vote in the Chamber of Deputies. According to article 73 of the Italian Constitution, the President of the Republic needs to promulgate the law. It is expected he will do so,” the HRW writes.

While the Italian LGBT community celebrates this step forward, the adoption issue is an important one. Dittrich said “Italian politicians should ensure that the best interests of children are the primary consideration in all adoption proceedings. Lawmakers should revise Italy’s adoption legislation to allow unmarried couples in a civil union, irrespective of their gender, and individuals, to adopt children and to also allow stepchild adoption.”

Marriage Equality Comes to Colombia

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More good marriage equality news from across the globe!

According to NewNowNext, “The Colombian Constitutional Court declared that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional in a 6-3 decision issued Friday, fully legalizing same-sex marriage and restoring benefits to same-sex couples who are already married. The rights of married same-sex couples in Colombia have been in limbo for years as the Constitutional Court and Congress fought over which should make the decision.” Colombia is now the fourth South American country,  right behind Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, to make same-sex marriage legal. Colombia has slowly since 2007 passed laws to protect same sex-couples. Adoption, healthcare, pension and social security rights have been granted to LGBT couples but only as common-law marriages.

“The right to marry and to form a family are fundamental rights that States must protect. Limiting marriage to heterosexual couples violates the right to nondiscrimination and equality,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch Americas Division, in an impassioned speech before the court. “The court’s decision to grant all Colombians, regardless of their sexual orientation, the right to marry the people they love is a landmark move for human rights in the country.”

Have friends tying the knot here or abroad? A Proudly Yours card looks great on every gift! 

Greenland Ushers in New Era Of Marriage Equality

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If you needed proof that marriage equality is spreading to the far corners of the Earth, look no further than Greenland!  The country’s same-sex marriage law went into effect on April 1st.

Last year, the country unanimously passed a marriage bill,which is an adoption of Denmark’s matrimonial laws. After taking two years, the bill was finally approved after a series of starts and stops, like the stepping down of Greenland’s Prime Minister had put the bill on hold. The marriage bill was approved by the Greenlandic Parliament on a vote of 27-0. An autonomous Danish Territory, Greenland can now celebrate same-sex weddings with the approval of Greenland’s Bishop. The Bishop has welcomed the arrival of a gender neutral marriage law and the Church of Greenland “worked closely with the government to amend the portion of the Danish law that covered same-sex blessings in religious weddings. The joint adoption clause that was included in Greenland’s new Marriage Act will go into effect on July 1st,” according to Out.com.  Nivi Olsen, the Minister of the Church in Greenland, wrote on the Greenlandic Parliament’s website:

“We have long waited for this day. To have the opportunity to enter into marriage means a lot to many couples regardless of the gender of one’s partner. I am therefore pleased that a united Parliament adopted in 2010, finally made it a reality. The Government warmly welcomes this new opportunity and the national church rejoices that we are ready for the new era.”

Teen in Northern Ireland Releases Touching Video Asking For His Mom’s Right To Marry

A 15 year-old from Northern Ireland made headlines this week with a video taking a local politician to task for voting against marriage equality. Darragh Tibbs wrote a letter to local assembly leader Gordon Dunne about a month ago asking why the official voted against same-sex marriage. After receiving no response, Tibbs made this video wherein he reads his letter to Dunne.“I am 15 years old and a constituent of yours,” the letter opens, “and I live just around the corner from your office. You voted no in the Marriage Equality vote last year—I want to know why. I’m the child of a same-sex relationship, and I can see absolutely no reason why my brother and I should be denied a secure family set-up. To me it seems perfectly reasonable that a democratic government should give all of its citizens the same legal protections. What gives you the right to take from my brother and me the right for legal protection for our family?” Tibbs goes on to say that the rest of the U.K. has voted for marriage equality and he wonders why Northern Ireland hasn’t done the same. “Gordon Dunne is a straight man, so when the legislation goes through, it won’t actually make any difference to his life. The only conclusion we’re left is that Gordon Dunne doesn’t support equality. He doesn’t truly believe that absolutely everyone is equal, just those who he approves of,” Tibbs says. According to NewNowNext, “a spokesperson for the Democratic Unionist Party commented, ‘The party supports the traditional definition of marriage of one man and one woman…we don’t believe marriage should be redefined.’” Dunne has yet to comment on Tibbs video or letter.

VIDEO: Jillian Micheals Proposes to Longtime Girlfriend

Made famous for her tough as nails training style on shows like The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels proved this week she’s a big old romantic just like the rest of us. Michaels, on the series finale of her docu-series Just Jillian, proposed to longtime girlfriend Heidi Rhodes. Forgoing the usual proposal, the celebrity fitness guru showed Rhodes an adorable video montage of the couple and their two children and followed it up by a tear-eyed proposal. Watch it here!

After 46 Years, Gay Grandpas Get Married

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Here’s one from the “Ain’t Love Grand?” file. 46 years ago, way before marriage equality was even a conversation, Lewis Duckett and Billy Jones met and fell in love. When Duckett was sent off to fight in Vietnam, the couple kept in contact by sending coded letters nearly every day. Since then the pair adopted a child, became grandparents and last October finally got married. Their wedding and love story is brilliantly profiled by the New York Times. Watch it here!

 

Civil Partnerships Coming to Greece

A bill released this week by Greece’s ministry of justice would give same-sex couples the option of civil partnerships with full marriage rights. The new civil partnerships will cover civil rights, inheritance issues, taxation and employee rights. Hooray!GREEK-FLAG

The not so great news? Greek same-sex couples still cannot adopt under the current law. According to Pink News, “The ministry has said a discussion about whether same-sex couples can adopt will take place in the future.” On the positive side, Greece also announced the forming of a national Council Against Racism and Intolerance.

First Same-Sex Marriage Certificate Issued in Japan

Japanese gay couple Hiroko Masuhara (R) and Koyuki Higashi display a certification paper of "partnership" issued by the Shibuya ward office after they received it in Tokyo on November 5, 2015. While the certificates are not be legally binding, the district hoped they would encourage hospitals and landlords to ensure same-sex couples receive similar treatment to married people. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

What do Koyuki Higashi and Hiroku Masuhara have that no one else in Japan currently has? A legal marriage certificate! According to CNN, the couple is Japan’s first legally married same-sex couple. The pair tied the knot in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Tuesday morning. The progressive Shibuya Ward legalized gay marriage back in March and fellow ward Setagaya followed suit a few months later. Masuhara told Reuters, “I am exhilarated that the city I am living in has recognized my partner as my family.”

Aww! Congrats you two. If you’re looking for a wedding card, peruse our gallery, why don’t you?

Filmmaker & Shakespeare Prove That Love Wins

Filmmaker Yulin Kuang collaborated with YouTube artist collective Field Day to produce an incredible video. Inspired by the legalization of same-sex marriage, the video is Kuang’s visual interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.