German government to consider expanding gay unions rights

Following a court ruling, Germany's ruling party considers equalising legislation for same-sex civil unions

25 FEBRUARY 2013 | BY DAN LITTAUER

Leaders of the of the Germany's right wing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party said they are prepared to bridge the gap between gay and straight couples. During an interview this weekend with the weekly news magazine Focus, finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble said the government was examining the effects of a ruling on Tuesday by a constitutional court, saying that gays in a civil partnership should be able to adopt their partners' adopted children. In 2001, Germany legalized same-sex registered partnerships with similar rights to married couples, excluding tax and adoption rights.

- See more at: Gay Star News

Senate committee recommends new anti-discrimination law be passed listing 'intersex' separately as a protected identity 

Gina Wilson, President of Organisation Intersex  International (OII)Australia

21 FEBRUARY 2013 | BY ANNA LEACH

Following calls from LGBTI rights groups and legal experts, the Australian Senate committee drafting the new Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill has recommended that 'intersex' be included as a category in its own right in the proposed law.

'The committee recognizes that intersex individuals are often the subject of discrimination in public life, and that as such there is a need for protection on the basis of intersex status in Commonwealth anti-discrimination law,' said the report published today.

The report said the committee agreed with campaigners that 'intersex is a matter of biology rather than gender identity,' so protection from discrimination was not covered by the definition of gender identity in the draft bill.

'This is a profoundly important report in that it recognizes that intersex is a “matter of biology rather than gender identity”, and reflects “innate biological characteristics”,' said Gina Wilson, president of Organization Intersex International Australia (OII Australia).

'Internationally it represents best practice, proposing the explicit inclusion of intersex people in anti-discrimination legislation for only the second time anywhere [after Tasmania].'

The Senate committee's report added that 'since intersex status is a condition related to the innate biological characteristics of an individual, it should not be an attribute to which any religious exceptions apply'.

Regarding religious exceptions, the committee recommended that they be removed from religious groups who provide services, but remain for employment.

Wilson thanked the many LGBTI rights groups and legal experts, including New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Australian Human Rights Commission, who added their voices to the call for 'intersex' to be listed separately on the Bill.

If passed, the new law would protect the rights of sexual orientation and gender identity minorities from discrimination in Australia for the first time.

'This is an historic reform that is long overdue, and will provide significant benefits to sex and gender diverse Australians,' said the Senate committee's report.

Victoria Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby (VGLRL), OII Australia and TransGender Victoria released a joint statement today calling for the government to pass the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill into law before the next election.

'We urge the government to adopt the recommendations of the committee and pass the legislation as soon as possible, to deliver on its commitment to introduction discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” said VGLRL convener Anna Brown.

Intersexion, a documentary about the difficulties that intersex people face in society, is showing at Sydney Mardi Gras film festival this month and Melboure Queer Film Festival next month.

Related articles

• Intersex, Theology and the Bible (christianityandsexuality.org)
• Include intersex in Bill, say lobby groups and legal experts (dailyqueernews.wordpress.com)
• Intersex concerns on human rights bill (dailyqueernews.wordpress.com)
• Does Intersex Belong in the LGBT Movement? (jamieleescrystalconnection.wordpress.com)

Irish Education Minister: ‘Education plays a key role in tackling homophobia and transphobia’

The Irish Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn TD today opened a European Union conference on homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools, and emphasised the importance education plays in reducing such prejudice.

Ruairi Quinn opened the conference which aimed to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools

Mr Quinn opened the conference, which was organised by the European region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), and Irish organisations GLEN, and BeLonG To.

It is the first ever EU-level conference on homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

The aim of the conference was to bring together national policy makers, teachers, school leaders and NGOs, in order to debate, and tackle the issue of bullying, reports GCN.

The Minister for Education said: “Education plays a key role in supporting LGBT young people and also tackling the underlying prejudices which can lead to homophobic and transphobic bullying”.

Michael Barron, Director of BeLonG To Youth Services said: “There is a growing understanding of the seriousness of the issues for young LGBT people, both in Ireland and across Europe. The Department of Education has recently published a national Action Plan on Bullying that fully integrates measures to tackle prejudice, including homophobia and transphobia which are the root causes of much bullying.

“The lessons being learned in Ireland can contribute to further developments across Europe, much as we can learn from innovative and successful practices in other countries.”

Kerry County Council passed a motion in support of equal marriage on Monday, becoming the latest local authority in Ireland to vote in favour of marriage equality.

The motion was tabled by Labour Councillor, Gillian Wharton-Slattery, after she was approached by members of the gay community, asking why the motion had not been passed yet.

A study published last week suggested that many gay and bisexual teenagers who are bullied at a younger age – are picked on less by the time they reach 19 – but they still remain disproportionately affected by the problem.

Anna Grodzka, Europe’s first transgender MP spoke out about poverty and social exclusion in the LGBT community last Sunday at the National Lesbian and Gay Federation Conference in Dublin.

-Pink News

Approval expected but full House vote likely to be tough battle 21 FEBRUARY 2013 | BY GREG HERNANDEZ The next step in the path to Illinois becoming the 10th state in the US to make gay marriage legal will come next Tuesday (26 February) when it is to be considered by the House Executive Committee.

The committee is comprised of seven Democrats and four Republicans. At least six of the members must vote in favor of sending the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act to the full House for a vote. 

Since the Illinois State Senate passed the marriage equality bill by a vote of 34-21 last week, a full House vote would be the final step before Illinois Governor Pat Quinn can sign gay marriage into law. 

At least 60 House members must vote 'yes' to pass the legislation for it to move on to the governor.

Illinois already allows civil unions. It is believed legalizing marriage equality could generate the state anywhere from $39 to $72 million and up to $8 million in new tax revenues. 

But the marriage bill has seen strong criticism from religious and far right-wing groups.

- Gay Star News

Related articles

• In Valentine vote, Illinois Senate approves gay marriage (itsaqueerworld.blogspot.com)
• Illinois state senate approves gay marriage by vote of 34-21 (guardian.co.uk)

Elderly transgender people find a home in Jakarta | Asia | DW.DE | 20.02.2013

Traditionally, the elderly in Indonesia are cared for by their families. But that's not the case for transgender people, who often have nowhere to go. A new home created specially for them is about to change that.

The estimated three million transgender people living in Indonesia are often rejected by their families, who are ashamed of them. Many of these people survive as prostitutes, but when they grow old, they have nowhere to go and end up begging on the streets.

But now, what might be the world's first ever elderly home for transgender people is being built on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

It's a very small pink house at the end of a dusty alleyway. There are chickens running around and children playing. It is here that Indonesia's first senior citizen's home for transsexuals and transgender people, or waria, as they are known in Indonesia, is being built.

Inside, 51-year-old Yulianus Rettoblaut watches in the mirror as a friend goes through the daily ritual of applying her heavy make up - thick white foundation, fake eyelashes, bright red lipstick and a long black wig that is tied in a bun at the back.

Not alone, but often isolated 

 "I lived in a village in an isolated area on the island of Papua. There was no one there who was transgender, or gay," she explains. "I started feeling attracted to men when I was around 11 years old. I thought: what is this feeling; is it an illness? It was not until I was 18, when a friend at university who was also transgender, took me to Jakarta to the prostitution beat for waria that I realized there was this whole other world that existed. I was so confused. There were so many people like me dressed up so beautifully."
Suddenly, Yulianus realized she was not alone:
"I felt like a weight had been lifted from me - because I saw that if we wear beautiful clothes and make-up you could easily attract guys and be paid money for it! So you get satisfied, get to be beautiful and you earn money," she says.

-continue reading - Deutsche Welt

The Defense of Marriage Act is already losing in the court of public opinion as a case challenging its constitutionality is about to be heard by the US Supreme Court.

A new poll found that 59 percent of Americans are against DOMA after being informed that the law prohibits the federal government from offering benefits to same-sex couples who are legally married.

The percentage of those against DOMA is actually higher than the 52 percent of people in the poll who said they are in favor of gay marriage in general. Also, 62 percent of respondents - including some of those who are against gay marriage - agree that 'it is discrimination for the federal government to deny marriage protections and benefits to legally married same-sex couples.'

'The findings of this poll should provide significant headwinds to LGBT advocates and allies and demonstrate to the Court that the thinking behind DOMA is outdated and indefensible,' said Winnie Stachelberg of the Center for American Progress and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders which commissioned the poll.

The results of the poll are based on a live interviewer telephone survey conducted January 23 – 27 among 802 registered voters in the US.

Federal appeals courts in New York and Boston ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional - rulings appealed to the Supreme Court by the Republicans.

The justices have agreed to hear the New York case which was filed by Edith Windsor who sued because she was required to pay a $350,000 federal estate tax bill. The government does not recognize her marriage to her late wife Thea Spyer.

Related articles

• POLLS: DOMA Is Discrimination, Equality Is Inevitable (thinkprogress.org)
• Majority Of Americans Oppose Gay Marriage Ban DOMA (ontopmag.com)
• Obama Considers Weighing In On Prop. 8 Supreme Court Case (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com)

Germany: Gay adoption laws strengthened for civil partners

Germany’s highest court ruled today that one member of a civil partnership should be able to adopt their partner’s stepchild or adopted child.

Until now, same-sex couples could only adopt their partner’s biological child.

The new gay adoption laws are now in line with rules that apply to heterosexual couples and judges ruled that this was discriminatory.

Government legislation is to be drawn up by June 2014.

The historic ruling has been hailed as “a breakthrough in equal treatment” by Volker Beck, an openly gay senior lawmaker with Germany’s opposition Green Party.

However, the ruling only means that same-sex couples can adopt the same child on an individual basis and not as a couple and they still cannot adopt unrelated children.

“Today’s decision marks a historic step finally to put rainbow families in Germany on a comprehensive, secure legal footing,” Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said. “Full adoption must be the next step.”

Same-sex civil partnerships have been legal in Germany since 2001.

In August, German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected calls to give to LGBT�couples�the tax breaks�enjoyed�by heterosexual married�couples.

 - PinkNews.co.uk: