As Edgars Rkēvičs be the first openly gay print Latvia’s history, here’s a glimpse at other openly gay heads of state om around the world.
Contents:
- GAY MARRIAGE: 12.6 LN ATRALIANS HAVE VOTED POSTAL SURVEY AS ADLE LOOMS
- ATRALIA VOT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, CLEARG PATH TO LEGALIZATN
- ATRALIA’S CUR PATH TO LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAGE
- LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE
- ATRALIA VOT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, CLEARG PATH TO LEGALIZATN
GAY MARRIAGE: 12.6 LN ATRALIANS HAVE VOTED POSTAL SURVEY AS ADLE LOOMS
Jt three weeks after a natnal referendum showed strong support for gay marriage, Parliament voted overwhelmgly to follow the public’s lead. * gay marriage in australia 2017 *
7, 2017SYDNEY, Atralia — Atralia’s Parliament voted overwhelmgly to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday, overg years of nservative ristance to enact change that the public had ma clear that fal approval the Hoe of Reprentativ, wh jt four vot agast the bill, me three weeks after a natnal referendum showed strong public support for gay marriage.
“It is a huge affirmatn of the digny of gay people yet another untry, and that will reverberate the liv of people across Atralia and the world. Turnbull noted that nothg the legislatn requir misters or other celebrants to oversee weddgs of gay upl or threatens the chary stat of relig groups that oppose same-sex marriage, two ncerns the lawmakers had fal bate the Hoe of Reprentativ, which lasted four days, featured more than 100 the first day, there was a marriage proposal: Tim Wilson, a gay member of Parliament wh the center-right Liberal Party, spoke of the stggl he and his partner, Ryan Bolger, had enuntered as a uple, before chokg up, fdg him the public gallery and askg: “Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me? ”For many lawmakers and gay-rights advot workg behd the scen, the bate took on the feel of a munal reckong wh Atralia’s long history of one pot, Adam Bandt, a Greens Party lawmaker om Melbourne, psed for a moment of silence after referrg to the “nocent blood” of gay Atralians who were hurt durg the long battle for marriage Shorten, lear of the opposn Labor Party, asked for fivens “for the long lay, for the jtic and the digni both great and small.
”He also paid tribute to a Labor Party lleague, Senator Penny Wong, a gay polician who he said had walked “a lonely road and a hard road” to help change Atralia. Advot for gay marriage assailed the Turnbull ernment’s cisn to hold the referendum, llg a layg tactic tend to appease his party’s far-right factn.
ATRALIA VOT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, CLEARG PATH TO LEGALIZATN
A public opn survey potg to approval for same-sex marriage is beg celebrated and cricized, even among gay upl mandg equaly. * gay marriage in australia 2017 *
”Many other gay Atralians said they had been hurt and trated by the referendum procs.
“The nversatn around marriage equaly was beg domated by those who were agast , ” said Tristan Meecham, the artistic director of the performance pany All the Queens Men and the founr of the Comg Back Out Ball, meant to enurage olr gay Atralians not to return to the out of the discsn, he add, were issu that go beyond marriage, such as the way olr men and women al wh earlier trmas tied to prejudice and gay bashg, or suici among teenagers alg wh issu of genr and sexualy. This bate has been my life ever sce I knew I was gay.
ATRALIA’S CUR PATH TO LEGALIZG GAY MARRIAGE
”In many untri where same-sex marriage is already legal, the tangible effects of stutnal acceptance have bee more visible, and posive, studi have study published earlier this year, the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that rcg societal stigma through marriage legalizatn had led to a 14 percent rctn suici attempts among lbian, gay and bisexual Wolfson said that both the Uned Stat and Spa, which legalized same-sex marriage 2005, polls have found support for same-sex marriage growg stead of dimishg, a sign of the laws’ posive effects. Among them was Christe Forster, the gay sister of Tony Abbott, the former Atralian Prime Mister who has long been seen as the face of the “no” mpaign. Opponents of the chang argued they would legalize discrimatn agast the gay muny.
The next day, Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, who is a vout Catholic, shared wh his lleagu how his gay dghter helped change his posn on same-sex marriage. “She said: Dad, the years to e, my generatn will look back and judge your generatn about how you al wh the issue of homosexualy the same way that your generatn nsired your parents’ generatn the way that they alt wh our digeno people, ” Wallace said.
LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE
Fightg back tears, Liberal MP Sarah Henrson told the story Wednday night of a close gay iend of hers who died months ago and who, one of their last nversatns, asked her to ntue to ph for same-sex marriage. “(Now) we need to save and also gets lots of fun ias om the other gay weddgs, ” they told CNN.
Rabow flags were sprayed wh Nazi symbols Brisbane while “no” advertisements claimed same-sex marriage would lead to “radil gay sex” tn schools. Image source, Getty ImagTwenty years after Tasmania beme the last remag Atralian state to crimalise male homosexualy, the untry is havg s say on same-sex marriage.
I've been lled a homophobe, a bigot and been told that my views are disgtg. Advertisements will also need to be vetted and broadsters mt ensure opposg views are shown or heard on May, Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas, Atralia's natnal airle, who is gay, was ambhed durg a speech at a bs breakfast Perth by a man who threw a lemon mergue pie his face.
ATRALIA VOT FOR GAY MARRIAGE, CLEARG PATH TO LEGALIZATN
His assailant was reportedly a church-goer opposed to gay marriage. In other untri the policians had the urage to make the cisn as elected members on behalf of the people, " explaed Vce Mchell, a profsor at the Universy of Sydney Bs ptn, Prof Vce Mchell believ the postal ballot will have a cleansg effect on AtraliaAtralia hered anti-gay laws om Brish lonisers, who arrived towards the end of the 18th Century. Until 1949, the ath penalty remaed on the statute books for sodomy the southern state of Victoria, but bold legislative change did eventually e September 1975, when South Atralia clared that male homosexualy would no longer be a crime.
In between, police arrted more than 50 people at the first Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras para Sydney Mchell believ that, although ntroversial, the postal ballot uld have a cleansg effect on a untry that ntu to harbour unease and mistst about same-sex relatnships. "Still wh (Atralian) society there is some latent phobia about what gay relatnships stand for, " he told the BBC. The anti-reform Coaln for Marriage hop to nvce the uncid that should same-sex upl be allowed to marry there would be ser nsequenc for children, who would be exposed to "radil" views on homosexualy schools.
Amics say the fight over gay marriage Atralia is a classic polil mpaign of "hope vers fear". Gay marriage: 12.