Email 7th July 2014, 2:23 PM Nick Duffy, PinkNews.co.uk Share on WhatsApp 0 reader comments
The anti-gay group NOM attempted to celebrate the ‘sanctity of marriage’ with a picture from a photographer who takes adorable photos of gay couples.
The National Organisation for Marriage posted the picture of an idyllic straight couple to their Facebook page, with a quote claiming to “underline” the sanctity of marriage.
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Same-sex couples are currently unable to marry in Northern Ireland Share on WhatsApp 0 reader comments
A leading LGBT rights support organisation in Northern Ireland has called on the UK Government to end the “farce” of marriage inequality across the UK.
The Rainbow Project, Northern Ireland’s largest LGBT support organisation criticised the Government for having introduced same-sex marriage in England and Wales and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland.
Referring to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s announcement last week on the countries which hold British consulates where British citizens may enter a same-sex marriage, Rainbow encouraged the introduction of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
Speaking on these developments, The Rainbow Project’s Policy and Advocacy Manager, Gavin Boyd said: “The cognitive dissonance displayed by the UK government is breath-taking. They want British citizens to be permitted to marry in Beijing and Moscow, but not Belfast. They want British marriages recognised abroad, but not in Northern Ireland. What kind of government allows such blatant discrimination against its own citizens?
“In our opinion, the same-sex marriage bill passed in Westminster was fundamentally flawed. By not following the precedent set by the Civil Partnerships Act, which was settled on a UK-wide basis, the government has passed legislation which is riddled with constitutional anomalies.
“People living in Northern Ireland have the same right to marry as those living in England, Scotland and Wales and if politicians cannot see the irrationality and unreasonableness of the current law, a remedy will be sought through the courts.”
Under secondary same-sex marriage legislation which came into effect last week, couples can marry in 23 British consulates across the world under British law where local law prohibits same-sex marriage, including Russia and China.
The countries are Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, and Vietnam.
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Email 30th June 2014, 2:11 PM Joseph Patrick McCormick, PinkNews.co.uk 1 reader comment
Taking full advantage of the celebrations at Saturday’s Pride in London parade, this group of police officers couldn’t help but let their hair down and have a little dance to the YMCA.
Saturday’s Pride in London parade drew in 30,000 revellers, despite a rainy afternoon. The event included Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst’s first UK performance in Trafalgar Square, and the parade itself was joined by veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen.
If you missed it, here are a selection of some of our favourite photos from the event.
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The group’s offices in southern Rome were attacked (Photo: Jirka Matousek) 8 reader comments
An LGBT group in southern Rome was reportedly attacked by a homophobic mob on Wednesday night, with excrement hurled at the group’s office.
According to newspaper Corriere della Sera, the offices of Di’Gay Project (DGP) came under attack from the group, whose members aged between 15 and 40.
The group’s office was being used to rehearse for a theatre performance at the time.
The report states that excrement was thrown, while the group shouted threats including “We’ll set you on fire” and “you deserve to die”.
Actress and director Maria Chiara Cucinotta said the group would “not be intimidated” by the attack, and would return to rehearse.
She added: “We don’t have any physical damage, but we do in our hearts.”
Activist Imma Battaglia, the honorary president of DGP, said the attack was part of a trend of homophobic crime, which has to be tackled.
The incident comes three weeks after the city’s pride parade, when tens of thousands of people marched in favour of extending rights to LGBT people.
Italy’s Prime Minister announced earlier this month that the Senate will debate a same-sex civil unions bill in September.
New Centre Right party leader Angelino Alfano said earlier this year that his party would leave the Grand Coalition government if
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The ACLU objected to the request for a stay 0 reader comments
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the state of Indiana has objected to the state’s request for an emergency stay to stop same-sex couples from marrying in the state.
US District Judge Richard Young declared that the Indiana Defence of Marriage Act unconstitutional, striking it down.
As the judge did not stay his ruling, couples were able to immediately apply for marriage licenses.
A stay has been sought by Attorney General Greg Zoeller, who wants to stop gay couples from marrying, so the state can appeal.
The petition by the ACLU says “the public interest strongly weighs against the stay.”
“Ultimately the question is what interest does the public in Indiana have in maintaining what this court recognises is profound ‘injustice’?… The Hoosier public has no such interest.”
In its request for a stay, the state notes that other stays have been granted in similar cases while an appeal is started.
Bryan Corbin, spokesman for the Attorney General, said the stay request “is intended to prevent confusion and inconsistency between county clerk’s offices regarding license issuance, while the appeal is pending.”
“Until the United States Supreme Court determines that traditional marriage laws such as Indiana’s are unconstitutional, it is premature to require Indiana to change its definition of marriage and abide by this court’s conception of marriage,”wrote the attorney general in the request.
“Nonetheless, marriages in violation of Indiana’s existing law have taken place, are taking place, and will continue to take place pursuant to this court’s order.”
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The group are planning to ‘cure’ anyone with HIV 36 reader comments
A Christian group is planning to infiltrate a Pride event to ‘cure’ people who have HIV.
Evangelical group Trinity Works is planning to infiltrate this weekend’s Twin Cities Pride in Minnesota for “Humility 2014″, in which it claims over 300 outreach workers will be involved.
The group’s leader, Steven Uggen, said: “The Lord really wanted to demonstrate his goodness to this community by releasing healing of HIV and AIDS, so we believe we’re going to see people healed of HIV and AIDS.
“That will be part of our training, just praying with boldness for the releasing of healing power, then sending them back to their doctors literally after praying for them, saying: ‘Here’s what I want you to do: go to your doctor, get tested for HIV or AIDS and when you come back negative, you’ve got a decision to make whether you’re gonna serve the God who just healed you’, and then give them some gospel materials that they can take with them.
“I’m confident that we’re going to have people healed of HIV and AIDS that are going to be contacting us.
“The funny thing is Jesus healed the 10 lepers and only one came back to acknowledge him so there may be 10 that get healed but only one come back, you know.
“This is a strategy that God wants to use so the very fruit of their sin is what he wants to, like, take away to show them his kindness and his goodness. I mean it’s just totally Jesus. I mean it’s like totally his way so we’re excited about that.”
(h/t JoeMyGod)
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The IRS will pay NOM $50,000 in damages 0 reader comments
The IRS will pay $50,000 in damages to the anti-National Organisation for Marriage, to settle a lawsuit over the leak of the group’s donor details.
NOM – which lobbies against legal rights for gay people – filed the lawsuit alleging that in 2012, the IRS disclosed details of donations from a political action group linked to then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Following disclosure, the information was subsequently revealed by the Human Rights Campaign.
NOM had claimed that the leak was politically motivated and deliberate, but US District Court judge James Cacheris ruled earlier this month that NOM had “failed to produce a shred of proof” for the claims.
However, the IRS has since agreed to pay the group $50,000 (
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Email 20th June 2014, 8:22 PM Nick Duffy, PinkNews.co.uk 0 reader comments
A Christian Republican group that works to oppose same-sex marriage has Barack Obama urinal cakes at its national conference.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition, which lobbies against same-sex marriage, among other issues, placed the urinal cakes at its ‘Road to Majority’ conference today.
Ralph E Reed, the founder of the group, previously called for US Attorney General Eric Holder to be impeached for supporting same-sex marriage.
The urinal cakes were discovered by Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post.
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Freedom Ohio dropped plans for a state ballot 0 reader comments
Plans for a state ballot this year to overturn Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban have shelved by groups in the state.
The Ohio Ballot Board had in April given preliminary approval to Freedom Ohio’s plans to hold a ballot on replacing the state’s constitutional marriage ban with a provision guaranteeing the right to marry for all, regardless of gender.
The group, which had to gather signatures before July 2 in order to appear on the ballots in November, has confirmed that it will no longer seek to do so.
Executive director Ian James said Freedom Ohio had not secured enough funding to run an effective campaign across the state.
Earlier this week, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed it had combined same-sex marriage cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and said it plans to hear the cases on August 6.
Though the initial Ohio ruling only pertained to recognition of marriages conducted out of state, it is possible that the Appeals court, or eventually the US Supreme Court, could broaden the verdict and strike down the marriage ban.
Rights group have previously sought to intervene in the case, to expand the ruling to in-state marriages.
The 4th Circuit court in May heard arguments around Virginia’s ban, and in April, Denver’s heard by the 10th Circuit. Rulings in both cases are expected soon.
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Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is a member of the new ‘Princeton Group’ Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join 0 reader comments
Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone is part of a new secret group aiming to ‘save traditional marriage’.
According to research by Good as You, Cordileone is part of the Princeton Group, a newly-formed organisation which claims to be “developing and deploying an action plan to protect marriage and preserve religious liberties”.
A leaked invite shows the group’s meeting this month is hosted by a committee including National Organisation for Marriage President Brian Brown, NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher, Alliance Defending Freedom President Alan Sears, and American Principles Project chairman Sean Fielder, alongside Cordileone.
The invite reads: “Last year a group of exceptional leaders in the arenas of business, academia, politics and culture started The Princeton Group – to formulate a plan to save marriage and to reinvigorate a flourishing marriage culture in America.
“Marriage has encountered unprecedented attacks from the highest seats of power and now stands in grave danger of being finally redefined out of existence.
“You have been chosen to be a part of this exceptional working group and to contribute first-hand to answering one of the most important societal challenges in US history.
“Now is the time to be part of an initiative that will be viewed by future generations as a turning point in the fight to save marriage in America.”
Blogging for Human Rights Campaign, Jeremy Hooper wrote: “It certainly seems like some sort of secret, shadowy version of NOM (Super NOM?) is going on behind the scenes.
“Who else was at this meeting? What’s the plan?
“If NOM isn’t effective enough to get the job done, then what is the point of NOM (and why march under the NOM umbrella)?
“But mostly: why is everything about this organization always so secretive and shady?!?”
Cordileone was last week urged by Californian politicians to cancel his plans to attend NOM’s anti-gay rally next month.
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