La legge, approvata dal governo di centro-destra, entrerà in vigore il primo maggio e consentirà anche alle coppie dello stesso sesso di sposarsi civilmente.

Questo significa che anche le lesbiche (e gli uomini gay) avranno la possibilità di accedere al matrimonio acquisendo di conseguenza tutti i diritti ed i doveri ad esso connessi, incluso il riconoscimento sociale. Per le coppie eterosessuali tutto proseguirà come prima, senza alcun cambiamento.

La Chiesa di Svezia si pronuncerà in autunno sull'eventualità o meno di celebrare i matrimoni religiosi anche in chiesa.

Sweden's parliament passed new legislation by a wide majority on Wednesday that will allow homosexuals to marry in church and civil weddings

The law will come into force on May 1st.

"Parliament on Wednesday adopted the bill on a gender-neutral marriage law," parliament said in a statement.
 

http://www.thelocal.se/18608/20090402/

Le nazioni che, al momento riconoscono il matrimonio tra persone dello stesso sesso sono oltre la Svezia: Olanda, Belgio, Canada, Spagna, Sudafrica, Norvegia e, negli Stati Uniti il Massachussets, il Connecticut, il Vermont e l'Iowa.

In Galles la Health Commission Whales ha annunciato che le operazioni relative al cambio di sesso saranno finanziate dallo stato. Con questa decsione tutto il Regno Unito presenta alle persone transessuali e transgender la possibilità di cure mediche di base gratuite.

Transgender patients in Wales will be given access to funding for gender reassignment therapy, bringing the country into line with other UK nations.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14/20090423/tpl-wales-funds-sex-change-therapy-81c5b50.html

A HCW spokesman said: "We have been working with the Gender Trust on the development of a policy for accessing this treatment in Wales.

The Gender Trust and Press for Change, another organisation for transgender people, have welcomed the move.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8012981.stm

Il sito Bbc news riporta un interessante articolo sulla situazione reale delle persone transgender nel Galles.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8014567.stm

Ancora una volta la Presbyterian Church (USA) ha deciso di mantenere le porte chiuse all'ordinazione di pastori gay e lesbiche. Dopo che la scorsa estate la chiesa aveva deciso a livello nazionale di procedere ad una cauta apertura, lasciando ad ogni singola comunità di scegliere secondo coscienza di avere o meno pastori gay, ora la conta dei voti a livello dei sinodi locali necessaria per la ratifica definitiva del cambiamento, ha dato esito negativo.

Unico segnale positivo appare il fatto che la maggioranza omofoba pare essere divenuta meno ampia rispetto al passato.

So even though a majority of the 173 presbyteries have voted to retain “fidelity and chastity,” there’s been a visible, almost visceral shift in the support – with the final vote when all the presbyteries have weighed in expected to be closer than ever before.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/04/presbyterians_bending_toward_justice.html

http://www.pres-outlook.com/component/content/article/44-breaking-news/8719-fidelity-chastity-ordination-standard-remains-in-place-in-pcusa.html

Finland's Parliament on Friday passed into law a bill on the right of same-sex couples to adopt within the family.

The government said on handing the bill to Parliament that the aim was to improve the legal standing of children in same-sex families.

http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=21707&group=Politics

Mentre gli Stati Uniti arrancano ancora ad eliminare il bando contro gli omosessuali nell'esercito, dall'america latina lo stato dell'Uruguay annuncia pubblicamente di ammettere senza riserve le persone gay tra le proprie fila.

Purtroppo la notizia è associata ad un'altra decisamente negativa. Il Perù ha invece adottato misure omofobe contro i polizitti gay "colpevoli" di dare scandalo.

The Uruguayan president, Tabare Vazquez, scrapped a law from the 1973-85 dictatorship that barred gay people from military academies, cementing his country's reputation as one of the most progressive in the region.

"The Uruguayan government does not discriminate against citizens based on their political, ethnic or sexual identity," Vazquez said.

The defence minister, Jose Bayardi, signed the decree this week. The ban had categorised homosexuality among the "mental illnesses and disorders" that rendered military recruits unsuitable to serve.

Latin America, long a redoubt of conservative Catholicism, homophobia and machismo, has mellowed in recent years. Colombia and Mexico City moved to grant more rights to gay couples, Buenos Aires opened a flagship gay hotel and Paraguay signalled it too would allow gay people in the military.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/15/south-america-gay-rights

The governor of New Hampshire has signed legislation making the US state the sixth to allow same-sex marriage.

John Lynch was surrounded by cheering supporters as he signed the three bills shortly after a key vote by both houses of the New Hampshire legislature.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont e Iowa sono gli altri stati che finora hanno riconosciuto legalmente il matrimonio civile tra coppie dello stesso sesso. Con il New Hampshire il numero sale a 6.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8082250.stm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/03/gay-marriage-new-hampshir_0_n_211063.html

“As people get to know the loving and committed couples at the heart of marriage equality,” said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, “our culture is moving to equality.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/04marriage.html

Ma come? Tutte le religioni, tutte le chiese non sono omofobe alla stessa identica maniera? Ma guarda un pò, sembrerebbe proprio di no!

Inoltre la Chiesa Episcoopale Usa ha sanzionato ufficialmente la possibilità per gay e lesbiche di diventare preti e vescovi. E scusate se è poco.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/us/19episcopals.html?_r=2

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-episcopal18-2009jul18,0,2066151.story

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56H01I20090718

Episcopalians on Friday authorized bishops to bless same-sex unions and research an official prayer for the ceremonies, capping a meeting that moved the church closer to accepting gay relationships despite turmoil over the issue in the Anglican family.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhOJ4iRJ_TnGrWTv4l8RPZrtnmuwD99GFC200

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/us-bishops-affirm-openness-of-ordination-process/?cHash=3e94e14e73

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/us-bishops-call-for-resources-for-same-gender-blessings/?cHash=f7da830712

New legislation has made it easier for lesbians to adopt their partner’s artificially inseminated child and avail of associated parental leave rights

Lesbians will gain more parental rights under a legislation change that came into effect this week.

The lesbian partners of women who give birth after 1 July following artificial insemination will now have the right to adopt the child from birth and no longer have to wait the three months before beginning adoption proceedings.

Children’s rights organisation Børns Vilkår also welcomed the move saying it is a positive step for the children of lesbian parents.

The change in legislation also means that the lesbian partner of the mother will be entitled to 14 days parental leave immediately following the birth, in line with similar rights for fathers. Previously, the female partner was only entitled to leave if her employer agreed to it in advance.

 http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/46171-increased-rights-for-lesbian-parents.html

Dopo tante notizie legate all'integralismo religioso, ci voleva davvero qualcosa di positivo e rasserenante!

The Quakers sanctioned gay marriages yesterday and called on the Government to give same-sex couples who marry in their ceremonies the same standing as heterosexual people. At their annual gathering in York this week more than 1,600 Quakers agreed “to treat same-sex, committed relationships in the same way as opposite-sex marriages, reaffirming our central insight that marriage is the Lord’s work and we are but witnesses”.

The Junior Yearly Meeting, representing teenage Quakers, had already agreed earlier this week that “to deny the spiritual aspect of marriage to committed couples, based on their sexuality, is unjust”. 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6734687.ece

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=a7t3Gxu.O8lI

Michael Hutchinson, of Quakers in Britain, said: "Many of our meetings have told us that there are homosexual couples who consider themselves to be married and believe this is as much a testimony of divine grace as a heterosexual marriage. They miss the public recognition of this in a religious ceremony."

During this week's meeting, Quakers spoke about their personal experiences and said "whereas there was a clear, visible path to celebration and recognition for opposite sex couples" the same was not always true for those in same-sex relationships.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/31/quakers-gay-marriage

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/quakers-to-allow-gay-marriages-1765433.html

La Chiesa Luterana degli Stati Uniti ha eliminato il bando che impediva ai pastori dichiaratamente gay e lesbiche di servire nella chiesa. Nessuna congregazione sarà obbligata ad impiegare un pastore omosessuale ma quelle che lo desiderano potranno farlo.

Di seguito i comunicati ufficiali della chiesa e del gruppo di luterani gay. 

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx#&&a=4261

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx#&&a=4254

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx#&&a=4255

http://www.goodsoil.org/press/Goodsoil%20Press%20Release%208-21.pdf

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4253

Participants also flew Israeli flags in which the blue was replaced by the rainbow colours associated with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people’s movement.

Members of a multicultural dance troupe joined in with the Ga’ava entourage, some of them picking up its flags to wave, swelling its ranks to about 70, said Abby Shawn, chair of QJC’s human rights committee, who rode on the Ga’ava float.

This was the first time QJC participated in the parade, but Shawn said this decision was made before the controversy over the anti-apartheid group began. “Congress has a history of protecting and promoting the rights of gay people,” she said. “We are very pleased with the way the organizers responded us, giving us a place so near the front…The organizers distanced themselves from QAIA and did not allow them to hijack the celebration to disseminate their propaganda.  They did their best to pre-empt any type of distortion.”

QJC was also invited to a VIP cocktail reception before the parade, she added.

She also felt the spectators “responded to us very well; there was absolutely no hostility.”

Elsewhere in the parade, one man held signs reading in French “5 countries = the death penalty/ Iran, Sudan, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen,” an apparent critique of the intolerance of homosexuality by certain Islamic regimes.

http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17481&Itemid=86

Senator Margarita Percovich told AFP the contentious bill had passed its final hurdle with 17 out of 23 senators voting in favor of the legislation.

"Uruguay has a long tradition of leading the way in civil rights and has shown a desire to move ahead quickly on such questions," said social sciences professor Adolfo Garce of Montevideo University.

The large wave of European immigration to the country in the 20th century, particularly from Spain, has given it "a progressive and secular culture," he added.

Uruguay was the first country in the largely Catholic South American region to approve divorce in 1907, and gave women the right to vote in 1932.

We have also received the resolution of the Diocese of Cape Town requesting us to provide guidelines for the pastoral care of those in committed same sex relationships. Despite the misconceptions created by media reports that Cape Town Diocese is intending to proceed with the blessing of same sex unions, we recognise the request to be pastoral in nature (reflecting the new situation created by the South African Government’s legislation allowing for civil unions between same sex couples) and not in any way in conflict with Resolution 1.10 of the Lambeth Conference of 1998.  The task of responding to this request has been referred to a task team, which will prepare a preliminary paper building upon the resolutions and statements made thus far by ACSA.

http://www.anglicanchurchsa.org/view.asp?ItemID=214&tname=tblComponent1&oname=News&pg=front

This Synod,

Affirming a pastoral response to same-sex partnerships of faithful commitment in our parish families;

Gives thanks to God for:

--The leadership of our Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and his witness in seeking to handle these issues in a loving and caring manner; and

--The Bishops of our Province for their commitment to the unity of our Communion and Province, working together seeking God’s way of truth and reconciliation;

Notes the positive statements of previous Provincial Synods that gay and lesbian members of our church share in full membership as baptized members of the Body of Christ, and are affirmed and welcomed as such;

Affirms our commitment to prayerful and respectful dialogue around these issues, mindful of the exhortations of previous Lambeth Conferences to engage with those most affected;

Asks the Archbishop to request the Synod of Bishops to provide pastoral guidelines for those of our members who are in covenanted partnerships, taking due regard of the mind of the Anglican Communion.

Recentemente l'Uruguay, come riportato in uno dei post precedenti, ha votato una legge che garantisce alle coppie gay e lesbiche il diritto all'adozione.Pare che questo diritto, stando ad alcuni rappresentanti della comunità legale, non sia cosi' scontato.

A closer reading of an adoptions law promoted by Uruguay's gay rights groups suggests it might not enable adoptions by gay and lesbian couples after all.

With the law awaiting President Tabare Vazquez's signature, gay rights groups have been celebrating the prospect that Uruguay could become the first country in Latin America to give gay and lesbian couples the opportunity to adopt.

But nowhere in the law does it specifically say that homosexual couples have a right to adopt. And in some places, it suggests otherwise - for example by specifying how the child should take a mother and father's surnames.

Family judge Estrella Perez said the judges association now plans to meet "to see how to resolve these doubts."

"We all have them."

And a lawyer for the institute, Edgard Marzarini, told reporters that he doesn't know how to resolve a same-sex adoption given the law's requirement that a child take a mother and father's surnames: "These are the holes that later give us problems."

 http://www.kcoy.com/Global/story.asp?S=11134632

es députés uruguayens ont adopté mardi un projet de loi permettant aux transsexuels de modifier leur état civil pour qu'il soit conforme à leur apparence physique,

«Chaque personne a le droit au libre développement de sa personnalité conformément à l'identité de genre qui lui est propre, quel que soit son sexe biologique, génétique, anatomique, morphologique, hormonal», dit le projet qui rend possible le changement de nom et sexe sur les papiers d'identité à partir de 18 ans.

Irshad Manji, la cui foto è nella presentazione del mio sito, è una vera femminista, le cui idee non sono contaminate dal relativismo culturale. Nel suo sito Moral Courage riporta di un'organizazione che aiuta le persone omosessuali a scappare dall'Iran.

After nine years of activism, Arsham still receives regular threats against his safety and reputation. However, he points out that while dealing with backlash is a constant part of his work, the negative messages “are nothing” compared to the supportive messages that he receives.

Arsham says that while negative attacks are personal, he tries to take them in stride: “It’s not all about me anymore; it’s about all of those who are looking forward to my activities in order to have a little bit more freedom. I can tolerate it when some people say something harmful against me. Because it is not just my rights, it is everybody’s rights.”

While IRQR operates without any paid staff, it boasts an impressive success rate. More than 70% of IRQR’s clients have gained refugee status or are in the middle of the resettlement process. IRQR is quite successful in assisting refugees with financial support from private donations.

http://www.moralcourage.com/get-involved/moral-courage-champion-fights-for-iranian-gay-rights/

http://www.irqr.net/

Transsexuals in Uruguay will soon be able to legally register a change of name and gender after the country's senate approved a controversial bill.

The law, which was passed unanimously, is strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church and opposition conservatives.

Under the new legislation, transsexuals will be able to change their name on all official documents, from birth certificates to passports, to reflect the gender of their choice.

Under the new proposal, documents reflecting the original gender and name will not be destroyed, but archived and amended.

The amendment also restricts the change of gender and name to those over 18 and stipulates that five years have to pass before an applicant can request another change.

La Equality and Human Rights Commission ha pubblicato una ricerca esaustiva a livello nazionale che analizza vari aspetti della vita delle persone trans: la scuola, la famiglia, il lavoro, l'assistenza medica, la violenza, la discriminazione, etc. 

Nel link troverete l'intera pubblicazione.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/trans_research_review_rep27.pdf

The Synod of the Lutheran Church of Sweden has come down in favour of church weddings for homosexuals in a vote held on Thursday morning.

The decision, which is based on a proposal from the church’s governing board, means that the Church of Sweden will conduct wedding ceremonies for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

The proposal was approved by 176 of 249 voting members.
Individual pastors would also still be able to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Since 2007, the Church of Sweden, which counts around 74 percent of Swedes as members, has offered gays a religious blessing of their union.

The ruling by the Synod, which has 251 delegates - two of which were absent from Thursday's vote, puts Sweden among the first countries in the world to allow gays to marry in a major church.

http://www.thelocal.se/22810/20091022/ 

Dopo le brutte notizie dal Maine, qualcosa di positivo.

Kalamazoo city voters decisively adopted an ordinance Tuesday that extends anti-discrimination protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals.

The ordinance passed 7,671 to 4,731, making Kalamazoo the 16th city in Michigan to adopt such a gay-rights ordinance that grants the protections in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

“There’s a lot of people who will wake up and breathe easier tomorrow knowing they won’t be fired or kicked out of their homes for being gay, lesbian or transgender,” said Jon Hoadley, campaign manager One Kalamazoo, the pro-ordinance campaign committee. “It was astounding the overwhelming support that we had. Kalamazoo said this is what it wants.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/11/anti-discrimination_ordinance_1.html

Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal announced at the annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio on Friday that he would lift the prohibition on blessing same-sex unions.

The diocese includes Columbus and the lower half of the state, a territory of about 25,000 Episcopalians in more than 80 churches.

To allay the fears of some conservatives, Breidenthal added that no priest will be required to perform a same-sex blessing.

Among the stipulations, Breidenthal said: No blessings of same-sex unions can take place without his written permission, which will require 60 days notice. At least one of the people seeking the blessing must be a confirmed Episcopalian in good standing.

Counseling with the priest or a substitute will be required before the blessing.

Now, Ian Chesir-Teran and Aaron Weininger — the pioneering gay students — are poring over their Talmuds and arguing the fine points of Jewish law at Machon Schechter in Jerusalem, JTS’s sister seminary. And so far, say both the students and their school, the year abroad is proceeding smoothly, at least on the surface.

“We haven’t encountered blatant homophobia,” Weininger said. “And yet, there’s a history there. There’s that challenge of, a little bit, walking on eggshells.”

Though Schechter’s policy against gay ordination continues, the two rabbis selected to fill Ramon’s position this past July are seen as friendly toward the cause of gay students. Rabbi Moshe Silberschein, appointed dean, was ordained at JTS in 1981 and taught for many years at the Reform-affiliated Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, which has admitted gay students since 1990. Rabbi Tamar Elad-Applebaum, appointed associate dean, is a member of Keshet, the Conservative group pushing for gay inclusion.

Among their reasons for taking their new positions, said Silberschein, is a desire “to unite the movement.”

“I’d like to think that we’re bringing a new spirit of conciliation,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a new page.”

Both rabbinical students say that simply being who they are and telling their personal stories has had a profound impact on many of their teachers and fellow students. Being at JTS and at Schechter, said Chesir-Teran, has meant “having opportunities to interact on a daily basis with future rabbis, and to let them see how I live my life, just as I see how they live their lives —to show that my life is equally as holy and equally as mundane as their lives.”

http://www.forward.com/articles/120446/

The bill, slated to become law Jan. 1, will give same-sex couples many of the rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, including access to a pension if one partner dies and alimony in the event of a split.

"We are living in the 21st century and I'm very glad this step is being taken today," Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner said during parliamentary debate leading up to the vote.

Christian Hoegl, co-president of the Homosexual Initiative Vienna, Austria's oldest group of gays and lesbians, agreed.

"It's a relief, a big success and a reward for two decades of lobbying," Hoegl said.

The legislation — considered a compromise between the governing coalition — did not pass unanimously. In the end, of the 174 lawmakers who cast ballots, 110 voted in favor of the bill, and 64 voted against it.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDt8Yq8oetIOgJKLxdZGsNAvWNDwD9CGM8U80

Le 11 décembre 2009, la ministre de la Justice, Procureure générale du Québec et ministre responsable de la lutte contre l’homophobie, Mme Kathleen Weil a rendu publique la première Politique québécoise de lutte contre l'homophobie. « Par le geste qu'elle pose ce matin, la société québécoise démontre une fois de plus qu'elle est à l'avant-garde en matière de droits des personnes de minorités sexuelles. » a déclaré Mme Weil.

http://www.justice.gouv.qc.ca/francais/ministere/dossiers/homophobie/homophobie.htm

The bill passed the capital's local assembly 39-20 to the cheers of supporters who yelled: "Yes, we could! Yes, we could!"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/21/mexico-city-approves-gay_n_399797.html

The change will enable same-sex couples to adopt, apply for bank loans, inherit wealth and be included in the insurance policies of their spouse – rights they were denied under the civil unions allowed in the city.

"We are so happy," said Temistocles Villanueva, a 23-year-old film student, who celebrated the new legislation by kissing his boyfriend outside the city assembly.

"For centuries, unjust laws banned marriage between blacks and whites or Indians and Europeans," Victor Romo, of the Democratic Revolution party, said. "Today, all barriers have disappeared."

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/22/mexico-city-same-sex-marriage

"I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

Simpson brings considerable professional credentials to her new job. For thirty years, she has worked in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. She holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration along with an extensive flight background. She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot with 20 years of experience.

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001Bu1v_yKrtccPnSKn1kuUrthN5zNpai-u0Q4eKa4vMQ_x0GvWZpSKVxOkt0-fEj8OlO_Wgt6TinpYuEWb-56DhViTFGGMFsQK6sPjPDUA1BC3gOOSX7o2vYNB6DN-EjEGwts5qt1_0uVCGs5H-Yx88_DeGtS4rZyWkOLaWXOJDHFRxQd9o7KzE1pJ48wFU-0o_g4Q3308rwnX856wN87IMLuEnAcFVYxB

 http://www.usajobs.gov/vacancy/vac_eeo.asp

Beginning in 2010, the Obama administration, through the Office of Personnel Management, has started to list gender identity among the classes protected by federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies. By including gender identity as a protected class, the federal government is stating its commitment to protecting transgender employees and has taken a significant step toward ending employment discrimination of LGBT people in the federal workforce. 

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/administration-adds-gender-identity-equal-employment-opportunity-policies

Portugal's parliament passed a bill Friday that would make the predominantly Catholic nation the sixth in Europe to permit gay marriage.

Gay rights campaigners applauded from the galleries, hugged and kissed outside the building and ate wedding cake.

"This law rights a wrong," Prime Minister Jose Socrates said in a speech to lawmakers, adding that it "simply ends pointless suffering."

"It's a slight change to the law, it's true," Socrates, the prime minister, said. "But it is a very important and symbolic step towards fully ensuring respect for values that are essential in any democratic, open and tolerant society: the values of freedom, equality and non-discrimination."

A proposal from the Left Bloc and Green Party allowing gay couples to adopt children was voted down Friday. Gay campaigners said they would continue to fight for gay couples' parental rights.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34765160/ns/world_news-europe/

Albanian rights groups and the Alliance against the Discrimination of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) welcomed the law as a powerful legal tool to protect against any kind of discrimination.

This law is not simply a fulfilment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalisation. Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians,' the LGBT community said.

The bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_487023.html

At its recent meeting, February 26—28, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions approved extending benefits to the partners in same-gender relationships, a first in the life of any Lutheran denomination.

Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, Lutherans Concerned / North America, said, “This historic decision is indeed worthy of celebration. The action sets committed same-gender relationships on a more equal footing in critical areas of family life: health care, retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.“

The decision of the Board means that the LGBT partners in committed, same-gender relationships with ministers or employees of ELCA congregations, synods or churchwide offices will be treated the same as heterosexual partners to the extent federal and state laws allow. The policy once put into practice will prove the test to what level of equality has truly been enacted.

To prepare for Wednesday, the marriage bureau has changed its licence applications so they are gender-neutral, asking for the name of each "spouse" rather than the "bride" and "groom."

The booklet outlining how civil marriage ceremonies should be performed has also been changed. The instructions now read: "I now pronounce you legally married" instead of "I now pronounce you man and wife."

E i giocatori di football sarebbero dei bruti reazionari, dei macho retrogradi? Ma fatemi il piacere! Ci sono ben altri ambienti che tanto si fregiano con proclami progressisti e in cui c'è un'omofobia ben sviluppata. Questi atleti sono davvero un esempio positivo, di quelli che amo ricordare in questo sito.

AFL football may have a reputation for blokiness, but dozens of top players and coaches have launched a campaign to promote tolerance of homosexuality.

The ''inclusion and diversity'' campaign boasts some of the biggest names in football, including Neil Balme, Joel Selwood and Brownlow medallists Jimmy Bartel and Adam Goodes.

Almost 30 players and coaches have signed up to the Players' Association project, to be launched officially next month.

The sportsmen and coaches have been photographed holding handwritten signs calling for acceptance and understanding of homosexuals.

The Players' Association says footballers know how it feels to suffer negative stereotyping and want to help another group of maligned individuals.

Though not scheduled to be launched until closer to the International Day Against Homophobia Day, held annually on May 17, the project is already considered a success because so many players and coaches are involved.

Danish parliament passed a vote giving equal adoption rights to couples in registered partnerships yesterday, but without the support of the government.

The opposition, together with breakaway members of the government’s Liberal Party, voted in favour of the legislation which will allow all same sex couples in registered partnerships the same adoption rights as married couples from 1 July.

Denmark now follows the lead of other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Norway and Sweden in allowing equal adoption rights for all couples.

The new legislation was welcomed by the Danish National Association of Gays & Lesbians (LGBT Denmark), who called it a ‘big step’ for gay rights in Denmark.

‘The most important thing is that in the future it won’t be rigid legislation but a qualified adoption authority that will make the decision about who would make a suitable adopter,’ said LGBT Denmark’s Hans Christian Seidelin.

http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/48896-gays-given-equal-adoption-rights.html

Thousands took part in Tel Aviv's gay pride parade Friday, including several politicians, among them opposition leader and Kadima chairperson Tzipi Livni.

"These days, there is a sense that Israel has become a sealed pressure cooker, that would be easy to be swept away by internal hate toward Arabs and gays," Livni said. 

"I have heard people express political fears – as if sexual identity were a political identity, as if new immigrants, religious communities, or any other human society, did not have gays or lesbians aomng them," Livni said.

Livni added: "Because the tendencies of the body and heart are not political, the protection of the [gay] community is not within the realm of any one political group. It is a matter of human beings respecting each others."

 http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/thousands-take-part-in-tel-aviv-gay-pride-parade-1.295610?localLinksEnabled=false

The organizers also ascribed what they said were record-breaking numbers of participants - about 100,000 - including a reportedly unprecedented number of tourists, to last year's attack, which also left 11 injured

Weizman said that although most of the politicians at this year's parade were from the left, for the first time the road has been blazed toward the involvement of right-wing politicians. As examples, he cited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the gay youth center in the wake of the deadly attack, and Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar's appearence at an educational conference at the center a month ago

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/massive-turnout-at-ta-s-first-gay-pride-parade-since-attack-on-youth-center-1.295780

E ora un video con la delegazione israeliana al Gay Pride di New York del 2008. Con l'auspicio che le delegazioni israeiiane, esattamente come quelle di altri paesi, siano ovunque ben accolte. Happy Gay Pride!

A Bill which will give people in long-term relationships many of the statutory rights of married couples has been published.

The legislation will allow same-sex couples to register their civil partnership for the first time and will also recognise a number of other rights and obligations previously denied to them. Unmarried opposite-sex couples will be allowed to register, as will those in non-sexual relations such as cohabiting companions.

Under the Bill, once a civil partnership is registered, the couple will be dealt with in the same way as a married couple by the Revenue Commissioners.

"The Bill has been carefully framed to balance any potential conflict between these two constitutionally guaranteed rights. This balance is achieved by maintaining material distinctions between civil partnership and marriage, in particular between the rights attaching to both, while at the same time reflecting the equality rights protected by the Constitution,” Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern this afternoon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0626/breaking34.html

After the press conference, the national body voted to remove all barriers to ordination for LGBT people.  This action now goes to the 173 presbyteries for a vote.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has more than two-million members and is making progress toward equality at each of their General Assemblies.  They are meeting in the same Minneapolis, Minn., convention hall where The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church made dramatic decisions in favor of equality for LGBT people.

http://glaadblog.org/2010/07/09/presbyterians-vote-for-ordination-equality-vote-to-study-marriage/

Presbyterian leaders voted Thursday to allow non-celibate gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy, approving the first of two policy changes that could make their church one of the most gay-friendly major Christian denominations in the U.S.

Delegates voted during the church's general assembly in Minneapolis, with 53 percent approving the more liberal policy on gay clergy.

Un vero happy end!

"People hate because they are scared and ignorant and they hate change. This will help everybody."

Miss McMillen, who has been openly gay since the 8th grade, said she appealed to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) after Itawamba Agricultural High School cancelled its prom in April to prevent her from attending with her girlfriend.

"She was standing up for the right to be treated equally and not to be forced to wear certain types of clothing to conform to gender stereotypes," said ACLU counsel Christine Sun.

"Thanks to her bravery, we now not only have a federal court precedent that can be used to protect the rights of students all over the country to bring the date they want to their proms, but we also have the first school anti-discrimination policy of its kind in Mississippi."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7901830/Teenage-lesbian-wins-35000-over-high-school-prom-dispute.html

McMillen's lawyers filed notice Monday in U.S. District Court to accept a judgment offer from the Itawamba County School District that will pay $35,000, plus attorney's fees. As part of the agreement, the school district also said it would follow a policy not to discriminate based on sexual orientation in any educational or extracurricular activities or allow harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

School officials contend that their agreement to follow the non-discrimination policy merely reaffirms inclusiveness rules the district already had, said school board attorney Michele Floyd. She said the district's insurance company will pay McMillen.

 McMillen said she thinks the case resonated with so many people because "prom is a common theme and everyone knows how it feels to want to go to prom. With my story, even if people didn't agree with being gay, they understood. They figured out how cruel some people can be."

THE SIGNING into law yesterday of the Civil Partnership Bill was welcomed across the political spectrum and also by groups that have campaigned for legal recognition for same-sex couples in Ireland.

The Bill was signed into law by President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday morning.

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said it was “one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence”.

The Green Party’s justice spokesman Trevor Sargent also warmly welcomed the development, describing it as a significant step forward and a stepping stone towards greater equality in society.

Gay and lesbian couples will benefit from the same rights as married couples in the areas of property, social welfare, succession, maintenance, pensions and tax.

The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 is expected to be commenced when those changes take effect, allowing the first registrations in January 2011.

Kieran Rose of the Gay and Lesbian Network said that it was a great day for Ireland.

“Lesbian and gay people, their parents, families, friends neighbours, colleagues can now look forward to celebrating their civil partnerships in the near future,” he said.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINTRE67F4ZH20100816