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Spain approves gay marriage bill


Talon

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Spain approves gay marriage bill

The Spanish government has approved a draft law which will legalise homosexual marriages.

The bill gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to adopt children.

The Roman Catholic Church and conservative opposition have fiercely opposed the move, which opinion polls suggest has the public's support.

If the bill is approved by parliament, it will make Spain the third EU country to authorise gay marriages.

The government, which estimates around 10% of Spaniards are gay, says it expects homosexuals to be able to marry as early as next year.

The issue of adoption further fuelled the controversy, stiffening opposition from the church.

Institution

After the vote, the Spanish Bishops' Conference issued a statement saying the cabinet's decision was "wrong and unjust".

"A married couple, producing and educating their children, contributes in an irreplaceable way to the growth and stability of society," the bishops said, adding that a homosexual couple "could never have such characteristics".

They said gay people's rights as citizens should not be discriminated against, but insisted social institutions had to be protected.

"Marriage is essentially a heterosexual institution," they said.

But Cabinet spokeswoman Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said thousands of children lived with homosexual parents and numerous studies had shown that they were no different to children brought up in heterosexual homes.

"There is no proof that homosexual parents educate their children any worse. In adoption, the well-being of the children comes first, independent of the sexual orientation of the parents," she said.

The Christian Association of Gays and Lesbians welcomed the cabinet's decision.

Respect

Gwenael Le Moing, of the association, said that the law would help the normalisation of homosexuality in society - "although there was still a lot of work to do".

"It also leaves the church more and more isolated in its discriminatory position."

The adoption part of the bill will allow gay couples to adopt only Spanish children, to avoid any legal wrangles with other countries. Under the bill, married gay couples will also be entitled to draw a pension after a partner's death and to divorce.

Church leaders had earlier compared the plans to releasing a virus into society and called on politicians to reject them.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took office in April, intending to remove what he called the Church's undeniable advantages and create a secular state with streamlined divorce and relaxations in abortion law.

Earlier this week he said: "I deeply respect the opinions of the Catholic Church even if they are very critical of the government. I ask them to show the same respect."

The Church's influence on Spaniards has declined precipitously since the death in 1975 of the dictator General Francisco Franco. His regime was closely linked to the Church.

Opinion polls suggest that nearly half of Spaniards now almost never go to mass.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/3706414.stm

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After the vote, the Spanish Bishops' Conference issued a statement saying the cabinet's decision was "wrong and unjust".

Do the Bishops care to exaplain that? huh.gif

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Brazil gay denied lover's career

By Steve Kingstone

BBC, Sao Paulo

A candidate for mayor in Brazil's local elections has been told she cannot run for office because she is in a same-sex relationship with the outgoing mayor.

The landmark decision was announced on Friday by the country's higher electoral court.

Under Brazilian law, mayors cannot be followed in office by relatives, to avoid allegations of nepotism.

The decision is part of a trend which has seen same-sex relationships become increasingly acknowledged by courts.

'Stable' relationship

In a unanimous decision, the court annulled the candidacy of Eulina Rabelo, who was running for mayor in the small town of Viseu in northern Brazil.

The court said she was maintaining a homosexual relationship with the outgoing mayor, Astrid Cunha e Silva.

It said the relationship was stable and should therefore be treated the same as a heterosexual partnership.

This is the first ruling of its kind and it comes as the country prepares to go to the polls on Sunday.

Ms Rabelo can appeal against the decision. Earlier, her lawyers argued that the relationship between the two women was based on friendship and an affinity of political ideas.

The court's decision is part of an emerging trend which has seen same-sex relationships become increasingly acknowledged by the courts.

Although Brazilian law does not permit gay marriage, judges have recognised homosexual partnerships when ruling on the issue of pension rights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3709392.stm

rolleyes.gif Can't have it both ways ladies tongue.gif

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Those socialists sure hit the ground running, didn't they? 

Course, they have 8 years of centre-right rule to clear up thumbsup.gif

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Good on the spanish government, all people whether homo or hetrosexual should have equal rights, we are all human beings and have the right to live whicheve way we feel must comfortable with!

Once again the church proves how old fashioned it is, for it to actually survive it will have to change just as society and the people within it are changing!

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Good for them. 

Those socialists sure hit the ground running, didn't they? 

what is that comment supposed to mean?

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what is that comment supposed to mean?

I think its a grudging 'okay, the socialists can run a country's equal rights better than the right ever could' thumbsup.gif

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I would agree that this bill is a good thing. I would hope that my own country (Based on freedom and equality) would be able to give the same equal rights to couples regardless of whether or not they are gay or straight.

Edited by Fluffybunny
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I would agree that this bilol is a good thing. I would hope that my own country (Based on freedom and equality) would be able to give the same equal rights to couples regardless of whether or not they are gay or straight.

Can't see it happening until Christianity's hold weakens and the US becomes Secular

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Sierra Leone gay activist killed

New York-based lobby group Human Rights Watch has urged Sierra Leone's authorities to find those who brutally killed a leading gay rights activist.

FannyAnn Eddy, 30, was repeatedly raped, stabbed and had her neck broken by people who broke into her office.

Earlier this year, she told a UN conference that gays and lesbians faced "constant harassment and violence" in Sierra Leone.

She founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association in 2002.

Homosexual acts are illegal in Sierra Leone, according to Amnesty International.

"FannyAnn Eddy was a person of extraordinary bravery and integrity, who literally put her life on the line for human rights," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Project at Human Rights Watch.

"Homophobic attacks go unpunished by authorities, further encouraging their discriminatory and violent treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," Ms Eddy told the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

"The authorities in Sierra Leone must investigate this crime fairly and fully," said Mr Long.

"They must send a message to a frightened lesbian and gay community that violence against them will not go unpunished."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ica/3716768.stm

God some nations are so backwards

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Guest Lottie
God some nations are so backwards

You can say that again!....but don't. original.gif Seriously... nations like this are scary.

I am so pleased that Spain have done the right thing. Yay for Spain! People have the right to love who they want regardless.

thumbsup.gif

Edited by Lottie
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Can't see it happening until Christianity's hold weakens and the US becomes Secular

Don't hold your breath Talon.

This country was founded by Christians and continues to be the strongest nation on Earth because of the Christian citizens and their Christian values.

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Don't hold your breath Talon.

This country was founded by Christians and continues to be the strongest nation on Earth because of the Christian citizens and their Christian values.

Oh I don't think it will happen anytime soon, sad.gif it took Europe hundreds of years to become Secular, and the US is still a very young country so it'll take a while to catch up.

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I would not see this as catching up, I would see it as going in reverse!!!

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I would not see this as catching up, I would see it as going in reverse!!!

Yes, Lets go back to the days when gays were in the closet when they weren't busy being beaten; Women were pregnant and in the kitchen, and civil rights were just about non-existant...

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I see a trend.

You can pretty much tell who supports Bush and who doesn't just from threads like these.

People who value human rights trend to stray away from Bush, whereas people who feel that individuals should have no rights whatsoever tend to be Bush supporters.

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Canada court mulls gay marriage

Canada's Supreme Court is set to start a hearing on whether gay marriage must be extended across the country.

The three-day session will examine whether draft legislation allowing same-sex unions is constitutional.

Gay marriages are legal in five provinces and one territory, but they are not recognised in Canada's other five provinces and two territories.

Observers say few advocates on either side expect the court to rule against the Liberal government's plan.

"We are very confident that the Supreme Court will confirm what many judges have said across the country," Laurie Arron of the gay advocacy group, Egale Canada, told the Associated Press.

The court - the country's highest - is not expected to give its ruling until next year.

Church rights

Gay groups say a favourable ruling would be an important step towards ending the stigma of homosexuality.

Opponents of the draft law argue that it infringes on the right of churches to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.

"When we redefine marriage, we are telling Canadian society and we are telling our young people that gender doesn't matter," Derek Rogusky of Focus on the Family Canada added.

"Study after study shows that gender does matter."

Canada would join the Netherlands and Belgium in legalising same-sex marriages.

Last month, a court in the Canadian province of Ontario approved what is thought to be the world's first gay divorce.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...cas/3720898.stm

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That's not altogether true Burnside. I think the government should have less control...as for the election I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. blink.gif

I would love it to be nice and clear cut but it's just not.

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If you feel the government should have less control, why would you vote for Bush, since he wants to take the rights away from people have have total control!

As for Talons post, go canada!

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