Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said today that the government had not ruled out vetoing the laws, which the ACT Legislative Assembly passed earlier in November.

Asked about that comment, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said the ACT legislature’s democratic decision needed to be respected.

“It would be plain bigotry for Kevin Rudd to overturn the laws and an interference … an arrogant override of the territory’s elected representatives,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“The majority of Australians want there to be no discrimination against same-sex couples in the area of law.”

Source - Perth Now

Broward commissioners on Tuesday chose the county’s first openly gay mayor to replace Mayor Stacy Ritter, who is stepping down after a turbulent year at the top.

Commissioners made history when they unanimously elected Ken Keechl as the county’s new mayor. The selection of a new mayor was part of Broward’s annual changing of the guard in county leadership.

Source - WPLG-TV

In recent weeks thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have come together to hold vigils and show their anger at the rise in homophobic violence.

The brutal murder of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square and the assault on James Parkes in Liverpool sent shockwaves through the LGBT community.

Reported homophobic attacks have risen by 20 percent in London, 32 percent in Glasgow, 40 percent in Liverpool and 63 percent in Greater Manchester over the past year.

And the mood was fuelled by the appearance of Nazi British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin on the BBC’s Question Time, where he described seeing two men kissing as “creepy”.

Source - The Socialist Worker

In the past year the public-acceptance pendulum seems to have shifted back, at least for what is arguably the biggest test of equality. Two weeks ago, the people of Maine followed the people of California in reversing existing laws that had legalized gay marriage. In fact, when gay marriage has been put before the voters of any state, it has failed every time. Is TV to blame for this?

Source - Newsweek

“We’re a conservative Republican organization that represents the gay and lesbian caucus, or the GLBT caucus of the Republican party,” says James Humphreys, vice president of Log Cabin Republicans. Not every Log Cabin Republican is gay or lesbian. About a third are not. And this is not their first time with Utah Governor Gary Herbert. Last month the group discussed their legislative goals in a closed door session. The governor declined an interview with FOX 13. But in August he said he would be concerned about creating a “protected class.”

Source - KSTU-TV

Charleston City Council will be weighing new anti-discrimination ordinances next week, providing fresh support for minorities in regards to housing and business.

The city has an existing non-discrimination ordinance for renting and selling property, protecting people from abuses based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin. The proposed changes would add sexual orientation and age to the protected classes.

Source - Charleston City Paper

The government of Argentina’s capital will not appeal a court decision this week that legalizes same-sex marriage, Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri said Friday.

The court ruled that two articles in the city’s civil code that say only people of different sexes can get married are illegal. The court decision applies only to Buneos Aires. Same-sex unions in most of the rest of Argentina remain illegal.

Source - CNN

A New Jersey bill to allow gay marriage might not go to a vote in the Legislature before the session ends in January and Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, who supports the measure, is succeeded by Republican Chris Christis, who does not.
   
State Sen. Paul Sarlo said he would not bring up the bill in the Judiciary Committee he chairs unless enough votes exist to pass it on to the full Senate. The Bergen County Democrat said that, currently, the bill does not have sufficient support in the committee for a recommendation to the Senate.

Source - WCBS-AM

Even though gay marriage is illegal in Wyoming, the state has the fifth-highest percentage of same-sex spouses of any state in the nation.

That’s an estimated 2.28 same-sex married couples per 1,000 households. That translates into an estimated 476 households in the state.

Source - KIFI-TV

“Nonaction is a statement in itself. If we weren’t celebrating pride or promoting our registry to same-sex couples, we’d be sending a message that we’re not inclusive. When someone in Boston made a decision to take that window display down, without realizing the history that Macy’s has had with Boston Pride, it was certainly not a decision that we felt good about”, Corliss Fong.

Source - Fast Company Magazine