United Kingdom: House Of Commons Passes Gay Marriage Bill By 366-161 Vote

The Huffington Post UK reports:

MPs were encouraged to be “proud” after the government’sgay marriagebill easily cleared the House of Commons on Tuesday evening.
However,David Camerononce again failed to convince the majority of his own backbenchers to back the legislation and had to rely on Ed Miliband’s support.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill received its third reading by 366 votes to 161 - a majority of 205. Early reports suggested around 133 Tories voted against the bill with 117 voting in favour.
Culture secretary Maria Miller, who had the difficult job of piloting the bill past through the Commons and past more than half of her own backbenchers, said the party should be “proud” of bringing in gay marriage.
“We will look back on the passage of this bill as we now look back on the introduction of civil partnerships. We will be in no doubt that equal marraige is right and we will be proud that we made it happen,” she said.
Miller’s message may well have been aimed at several Tory MPs who voted against civil partnerships when they were introduced in 2005 - but have since changed their minds.
Recognising the wounding split the bill has opened up in the party, she added: “Let us make equal marriage possible because it is the right thing to do, and then, let us move on.”
Having secured its third reading the bill will now be scrutinised by the House of Lords - where opponents of the bill hope to still be able to kill it off.
David Cameron has come under intense pressure from backbench MPs and grassroots party activists to drop the bill. Former Conservative cabinet minister Norman Tebbit told the prime minister he had “really fucked things up” by changing the law on marriage as it would open up the possibility of a lesbian queen and fathers marrying sons.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow equalities minister, said MPs should be pleased they were able to deliver “joy” for gay couples who wanted to get married. “No one has any excuse to ditch or delay this legislation,” she said.
In February, 136 Tories voted against the bill’s second reading while 127 voted in favour. In total the bill passed 400 votes to 175 - a majority of 225 - but it needed Labour and Lib Dem support to overcome Tory opposition.
Highlighting the necessary role Labour played in getting the bill through, Cooper encouraged anti-gay marriage Tory MPs to “stop talking abot the anger and start talking about the joy”. And she dismissed objections that gay marriage would in any way impact on heterosexual couples.
“The idea that two brides tying the knot says anything about their neighbours next door is simply ludicrous,” she told the Commons. “It’s not a definition its a discrimination.”
Writing for The Huffington Post UK on Tuesday, Ed Miliband said Cameron was being pushed around by his “backward” MPs.
“This week we have watched the prime minister looking desperately over his shoulder at the MPs behind him over the issue of same-sex marriage,” he said.
Former Tory police minister Nick Herbert, the leading pro-gay marriage backbencher, said the bill “will do no harm but a very great deal of good by celebrating love and commitment”. He added that his Tory colleagues who opposed the move would be shown to be wrong in time, just as those who opposed the decriminalisation of homosexuality had been.
Fellow Tory Charles Walker, who supported the bill, enthusiastically told MPs: “I didn’t come into politics to be defined by what I am against, I ame into politics to be defined by what I am for.
“Tonight is a good night.”

Northern Ireland Rejects Marriage Equality

The Telegraph reports:

A bid to legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland has failed.
Unionists voted down a motion at Stormont’s Assembly which called on the power-sharing ministerial Executive to legislate.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without marriage rights for gay couples.
The issue sparked impassioned debate, with protests outside the legislature and verbal clashes between campaigners in favour of or opposed to the change. Amnesty International has warned of a likely legal challenge.
Sinn Fein South Down MLA Caitriona Ruane said: “Attitudes in Ireland are changing because people do not want to see people discriminated against.
“The gay community has said enough is enough, they are standing up for themselves and their communities.”
She claimed young people were turning to suicide by because of the taunts.
“If they don’t have an alternative voice to the vitriolic gay bashing they will internalise it,” she said.
“There is no room for sitting on the fence on this, this is about fighting for all our children’s rights.”
Church leaders had urged Assembly members to vote against the legislation, with the Catholic church asserting marriage was between a man and a woman.
However, Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s orthern Ireland programme director, said: “States may not discriminate with regards to the right to marry and found a family, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Yesterday’s petition of concern at the Assembly tabled by the largest unionist party, the Democratic Unionists, ensured Sinn Fein’s motion would be defeated after a majority of unionists failed to back the change.
John O’Doherty, director of the Rainbow Project health organisation for gay men and a rights campaigner, said he would continue to press for change.
“This will be won slowly so we appreciate every vote that we got. We are disappointed with the outcome. It has always been a difficult march towards equality here but we will continue to fight the good fight.”

Freddie Mercury Snuck Princess Diana Into A Gay Club In Drag

Queerty reports:

Back in the late 1980s, queer singer Freddie Mercury brought Princess Diana to a London gay club in disguise, according to a new book by British actress Cleo Rocos.
In The Power of Positive Drinking, Rocos explains how she and gay comedian Kenny Everett accompanied the rocker and the royal to Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the oldest gay bar in South London, with Diana disguised in an army jacket, cap and dark sunglasses.
Rocos says the princess looked “like a beautiful young man.”
“When we walked in… we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute. But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it.”
Apparently the presence of the three other celebrities allowed Diana to mingle undetected and even order a round of drinks.

United Kingdom: House Of Commons Overwhelmingly Approves Gay Marriage Bill

Joe.My.God. reports:

The final vote was 400-175.  A large number of Tories “rebelled” against Prime Minister David Cameron and voted against the bill.  The bill now heads for its third and final reading.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg reacts:  

• I genuinely believe that we will look back on today as a landmark for equality in Britain. Tonight’s vote shows parliament is very strongly in favour of equal marriage. No matter who you are and who you love, we are all equal. Marriage is about love and commitment, and it should no longer be denied to people just because they are gay. The Liberal Democrats have long fought for equal marriage. It is party policy and I am proud that the Liberal Democrats are part of the coalition government that are making it happen.

From the Guardian’s live blog: 

• MPs have voted for the gay marriage bill by 400 votes to 175 - a majority of 225. Such a large majority probably increases the chances of the bill being able to get through the House of Lords this year, without the government having to rely on the Parliament Act to push it through in 2014. More than half of the Tory MPs who voted chose to oppose gay marriage. Initial figures suggest that 139 Tories voted against, and only 132 voted for. Technically this is not a rebellion, because it was a free vote. But it is a severe embarrassment to David Cameron.

United Kingdom: Same-Sex Marriage Bill Introduced In House Of Commons

Pink News UK reports:

The government’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales has officially been introduced in the House of Commons by Culture Secretary Maria Miller.
A full debate by MPs and a vote on the proposals will take place on 5 February, with the bill due to be published ahead of that tomorrow.
Following a government consultation, Mrs Miller first outlined the plans to MPs in December.
All religious organisations, including the Church of England and Church in Wales, will be legally barred from marrying same-sex couples unless they choose to opt in.
The Equality Act 2010 is to be amended to ensure that no discrimination claim could be brought against religious organisations or an individual minister for refusing to marry gay couples (or allowing their premises to be used for this purpose).
Canon law – which bans the marriage of same-sex couples – will continue to apply; meaning it would require a change in both primary and Canon law before the Church of England and the Church in Wales would be able to provide marriages for gay couples.
Despite claims that almost half of Tory MPs could vote against the bill, David Cameron is likely to secure a majority in the Commons with the support of Labour and Liberal Democrat members.
The bill would then be subjected to the scrutiny of an MP’s committee before making its way back to the Commons for a third reading – at which point it would then enter the House of Lords.
Mrs Miller has refused to rule out using the Parliament Act to override the Lords in the event the bill becomes stalled. 

United Kingdom: Gay Iranians Seeking Asylum

United Kingdom: BBC Reports On Marriage Equality Battle

European Court Upholds UK Ban On Anti-Gay Religious Discrimination

Via The European Parliament’s Intergroup On LGBT Rights:

Today the European Court of Human Rights ruled that religious beliefs may not justify opposing the rights of same-sex couples. British laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation were upheld.
The Strasbourg court examined four cases brought by Christians, including two who argued their beliefs allowed them to refuse a service to same-sex couples.
In the first case, Lillian Ladele was a civil registrar in London. She was dismissed because she refused officiating at civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples after it became legal in 2005. She claimed she was discriminated because of her faith.
The Court ruled there had been no discrimination, and that British courts—who upheld her dismissal—had struck the right balance between her right to freedom of religion, and same-sex couples’ right not to be discriminated.
In the second case, Gary McFarlane was a counsellor providing psycho-sexual therapy to couples. He was dismissed for refusing to work with same-sex couples, arguing this was incompatible with his beliefs. The Court ruled unanimously that there had been no violation of his right to freedom of belief.
Commenting this landmark ruling, Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament’s LGBT Intergroup, said: “With this ruling, the court has established that freedom of religion is an individual right. It is emphatically not a collective right to discriminate against LGBT people, women, or people of another faith or life stance.”
“Religious freedom is no ground for exemption from the law. The court showed conclusively that the principle of equality and equal treatment cannot be circumvented with a simple reference to religion.”
Michael Cashman MEP, Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup, added: “British law rightly protect LGBT people from discrimination, and there is no exemption for religious believers. Religion and belief are deeply private and personal, and should never be used to diminish the rights of others.”
The ruling may be appealed within three months.

United Kingdom: Catholic Bishop Mark Davies Compares Gay Marriage To Nazism

Joe.My.God. reports:

“Past generations have gathered in this cathedral on Christmas night amid many shadows which seemed to obscure the future for them. We think of the ideologies of the past century, Communism and Nazism, which in living memory threatened to shape and distort the whole future of humanity. These inhuman ideologies would each challenge in the name of progress the received Christian understanding of the sanctity of human life and the family. Winston Churchill, Britain’s wartime Prime Minister, a man without clear, religious belief, saw in this deadly struggle nothing less than the defence of Christian civilisation.

“Few of our political leaders today appear to glimpse the deeper issues when the sanctity of human life and the very identity of marriage, the foundation of the family, are threatened. his Christmas we are also conscious of new shadows cast by a Government that was pledged at its election to support the institution of marriage. The Prime Minister has decided without mandate, without any serious consideration, to redefine the identity of marriage itself, the foundation of the family for all generations to come. This is again done in the name of progress. The British people have reason to ask on this night where is such progress leading?” - Bishop of Shrewsbury Mark Davies, from remarks released in advance of tonight’s midnight mass in Britain.

Stephen Hawking & Other Eminent Scientists Call For David Cameron To Pardon Gay Computer Pioneer Alan Turning

The Huffington Post reports:

Stephen Hawking and other eminent scientists called Friday for the British government to pardon computer pioneer Alan Turing, who helped win World War II but was later prosecuted for homosexuality.
In a letter published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Hawking and 10 others urged Prime Minister David Cameron “formally to forgive the iconic British hero.”
The letter, whose signatories also include Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, called Turing “one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the modern era.”
“It is time his reputation was unblemished,” it said.
Turing worked at Bletchley Park, the wartime code-breaking center, where he helped crack Nazi Germany’s secret codes by creating the “Turing bombe,” a forerunner of modern computers.
He also developed the “Turing Test” to measure artificial intelligence.
After the war, Turing was prosecuted for having sex with a man, stripped of his security clearance and forcibly treated with female hormones. He killed himself in 1954 at age 41 by eating an apple laced with cyanide.
Sex between men remained illegal in Britain until 1967.
In 2009, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a public apology on behalf of the government for Turing’s “inhumane” treatment, saying: “We’re sorry, you deserved so much better.”

United Kingdom: Scotland Introduces Marriage Bill

Gay Star News reports:

The Scottish government launched the ‘Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill’, which will introduce marriage equality, yesterday (12 December) alongside a 14-week consultation on its implementation.
The draft legislation will allow same-sex marriage in Scotland and give all religious and belief bodies (for example Humanist) the right to conduct same-sex marriages, if they wish to do so.
The bill will also remove the requirement on a married or civil partnered transgender person to divorce before obtaining full Gender Recognition.
In addition the bill will introduce religious and belief ceremonies for civil partnerships.
Finally, the bill will allow civil marriages to take place anywhere a couple and their registrar choose.
The Scottish government will now be consulting on the implementation of the draft bill, including the details of the legislation and proposals relating to religious bodies and celebrants, freedom of speech, education and employment.
Following the close of the public consultation on 20 March, the Scottish government will make any changes to the bill that are considered necessary, then introduce the bill for a vote into the Scottish parliament.
It generally takes at least 6 months for a bill to go through parliament, so if the bill is introduced by May or June, it might be passed by around the end of 2013.
Depending on unforeseen changes to the timetable the first same-sex marriages in Scotland should take place in 2014.
Tom French, policy coordinator for the Equality Network charity, welcomed the bill and said: ‘Today Scotland has taken a huge step forward towards full equality for LGBT people.
‘Equally religious bodies should have the freedom to choose for themselves whether to conduct same-sex marriages, currently all religious bodies are wrongly banned from doing so regardless of their beliefs.
‘These proposals are fair and progressive, and as a result we expect the final legislation to get the backing of a clear majority in parliament’.
All the major Scottish political parties welcomed the bill.
Alex Neil Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), and Scottish Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, said; ‘We are introducing same sex marriage in Scotland because it is the right thing to do.
‘We are striving to create a Scotland that is free, tolerant and fair and I am pleased to say there is support across the chamber for this significant step.
‘I am absolutely clear that this should not impact on religious freedom and no religious body will be compelled to solemnise same-sex marriages.’
Johann Lamont MSP, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, said: ‘Equality for LGBT people in the UK has always been advanced by the Labour Party, from equalising the age of consent, introducing anti-discriminatory policies, introducing civil partnerships and promoting equality across Europe and beyond. We look forward to scrutinising the bill’.
Ruth Davidson MSP, leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, said; ‘I support the principal of equal marriage’, adding she will work to ensure that religious protections are in place’.
Willie Rennie MSP, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: ‘This bill represents a proud step forwards for equality in Scotland.
‘Equal marriage is the right and natural step towards the modern, tolerant and progressive Scotland we all want to see’.
Patrick Harvie MSP, out bisexual leader of the Scottish Green Party, said: ‘I’m delighted that Scotland will be pressing ahead with legislation which recognises the equal status of mixed-sex and same-sex relationships, and gives them all the same right to marriage.
‘I believe they should all have the same right to civil partnership too, and I’ll look forward to debating that in parliament.
‘Equality should mean equality for everyone, on their own terms.’
Over 14 Scottish religious leaders, from the Quakers, Episcopal, Unitarian, ministers of the Church of Scotland and Liberal Jeduasim have welcomed the bill and said they look forward to solemnise same-sex marriage.
Despite the bill ensuring opt out for religious bodies who do not wish to conduct same-sex marriages and guaranteeing religious freedom, some Scottish religious leaders said religious bodies are not ‘protected’ enough against the bill and called for ‘more safeguards’.
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said that ‘leading legal opinion’ has warned that the government’s proposals will have an ‘adverse’ impact on ‘religious freedom and a wide range of civil liberties.’ and may ‘discriminate unjustly’ against religious bodies.
Rev Alan Hamilton, convener of the Church of Scotland’s legal questions committee, said: ‘We have also expressed concerns about the speed with which the government is proceeding with this and what we fear will be inadequate safeguards for religious bodies and ministers and people of faith who view this as being contrary to their beliefs’.

United Kingdom: Churches Will Be Able To Marry Gay Couples From Next Year

Pink News UK reports:

Same-sex couples in England and Wales are set to be allowed to marry, under plans announced today by Culture Secretary Maria Miller in the House of Commons.
Following a government consultation, legislation allowing same-sex marriage will be brought forward next year.
Although the Catholic Church and Church of England are opposed to equal marriage, faith groups such as the Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Judaism support marriage rights for gay couples and have stated they would like to provide the ceremonies.
Mrs Miller said the proposals are designed to create watertight protections for religious organisations that do not want to conduct same-sex marriages, but will allow them to ‘opt in’ if they so chose.
“Marriage is one of the most important institutions we have in this country. It binds us together, brings long-term commitment and stability, and makes society stronger. Our proposals mean that marriage would be available to everyone. I feel strongly that, if a couple wish to show their love and commitment to each other, the state should not stand in their way”.
Mrs Miller continued:
“I am absolutely clear that no religious organisation will ever be forced to conduct marriages for same-sex couples, and I would not bring in a bill which allowed that. European law already puts religious freedom beyond doubt, and we will go even further by bringing in an additional ‘quadruple legal lock’. But, it is also a key aspect of religious freedom that those bodies who want to opt-in should be able to do so.
“We will continue to work with faith and other interested groups over the coming months on how best to implement our plans. I now look forward to a free, open and rigorous debate on the legislation, which we will introduce early next year.”
Speaking in favour of equal marriage last Friday, David Cameron said he did not want gay couples to be excluded from a “great institution”.
Mr Cameron first raised the prospect of marriage reform when he responded to a PinkNews.co.uk question on equal marriage by saying in 2010: “I want to do everything I can to support commitment and I’m open to changing things further to guarantee equality.”
The historic move will mean that for the first time gay couples will be able to get married in civil ceremonies; religious organisations who decide to ‘opt in’ will be able to conduct marriage ceremonies for gay couples; and a ‘quadruple lock’ of measures in domestic legislation would protect religious freedom, putting beyond doubt the possibility of a successful challenge through domestic or European courts.
European law already puts protection for religious freedom beyond doubt (under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights) but the government intends to go even further and put in place a ‘quadruple lock’ in domestic law.
It will be unlawful for religious organisations, or their ministers, to marry gay couples unless the organisation’s governing body has expressly opted in to do so.
The Equality Act 2010 is to be amended to ensure that no discrimination claim could be brought against religious organisations or an individual minister for refusing to marry gay couples (or allowing their premises to be used for this purpose).
The bill will explicitly state that it would be illegal for the Church of England and the Church in Wales to marry gay couples, or to opt-in to do so.
Canon law – which bans the marriage of same-sex couples – will continue to apply; meaning it would require a change in both primary and Canon law before the Church of England and the Church in Wales would be able to provide marriages for gay couples.