Georgian President blocks referendum on constitutional gay marriage ban

The Georgian President has shot down a proposed referendum on a new constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. A petition calling for the referendum in the country had gathered 200,000 signatures. However, in a press conference this week, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili flatly rejected the proposal to hold a referendum that would constitutionally define marriage as

On March 20th, 2016 a meeting to consider the Constitutional amendment, which seeks to define “family life” as emanating exclusively from a marriage between a man and a woman, has been scheduled at the Legal Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament. However, the Committee failed to meet the quorum and the consideration of the draft

Chinese court rejects first same-sex marriage case

A judge in China has dismissed a suit brought against the local government by a gay couple. Despite the decision, the plaintiffs and their supporters have said the fight isn’t over. The court in central Changsha on Wednesday dismissed the suit brought against the civil affairs bureau for refusing to issue a marriage license to

Faroe Islands rejects same-sex marriage

Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago part of Denmark, has rejected same-sex marriage. Comprising of 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, it remains the only Nordic country to not have adopted same-sex unions in any form. A majority of 26 out of total 33 members in the Faroe Islands

Italian Senate approves civil unions for gay and heterosexual couples

Politicians in Rome have approved a bill recognizing civil unions for same sex and heterosexual couples. However, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had to water down the legislation a great deal for the Upper House’s approval. Prime Minister Renzi would have had to resign had he lost Thursday’s vote, but 173 members voted for the bill

Taiwan elects new President who supports equal marriage

A vocal supporter of same-sex marriage has been elected as Taiwan’s new President. The country, known variously as Taiwan, the Republic of China and Chinese Taipei, made a bold step today by electing Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party as President. As well as being the country’s first female President, Ms Tsai is an outspoken

Mayor of Bulgaria capital endorses anti-marriage campaign

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Yordanka Fandakova, the first female mayor of the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, will officiate the wedding of a different-sex couple as part of a campaign against marriage rights for same-sex couples. The Society and Values Association, an anti-gay organization that is behind The Week of Marriage campaign, made the announcement. The Society

Mexican Supreme Court strikes down state marriage ban

The Mexican Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the state of Jalisco’s same-sex marriage ban. The justices in their 11-0 ruling said the portion of the Jalisco Civil Code that defines marriage as between a man and a woman amounts to discrimination based on sexual orientation under the Mexican constitution. Milenio, a Mexican newspaper, quoted

China’s first marriage equality case accepted by court

China’s first marriage equality has been accepted by a court in Hunan province. Sun Wenlin, 26, sued a civil affairs bureau in Changsha last month for rejecting his marriage application – in what has been hailed as the first gay marriage case in the communist country. Sun received notification from Furong district court that his

Slovenian voters reject same-sex marriage law

 Slovenian voters on Sunday rejected a law that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Associated Press reported that preliminary results indicate that voters by a 63-37 percent margin rejected the statute. “It’s Time for Yes” (‘Čas je Za’ in Slovenian), the campaign that that backed the marriage law, thanked its supporters on its Twitter