Reykjavik prepares for February gay festival!

Iceland’s capital city is inviting gay people from around the world to attend its International LGBT Festival from 16-19 February.
The Rainbow Reykjavik Event Team along with tour operators Pink Iceland and Reykjavik Excursions, have put together a programme of events and tours.
Audur Halldorsdottir from Visit Reykjavik said: “We are really excited about hosting Rainbow Reykjavik and welcoming the LGBT Community from across the world to our beautiful and very LGBT-friendly country!”
Eva María Thorarinsdottir Lange, Managing Director of Pink Iceland said: “The Rainbow Reykjavik program provides a colourful mixture of various events, including tours to see the Northern Lights, geysirs, waterfalls and the Continental Divide, great meals, cocktail receptions and dance parties….as well as pure wellness and relaxation in the world famous geothermal spa of the Blue Lagoon.”
In addition to experiencing Iceland’s unparalleled nature, a ‘Queer Concert’ in Reykjavik’s new Harpa Concert Hall is also included in the programme.
After an LGBT community dinner in the the beautiful Kolabrautin Restaurant in Harpa Concert Hall, Rainbow Reykjavik is proud to announce that some of Iceland’s most famous artists are scheduled to perform, including Lay Low and Paul Oscar.
Organisers say Lay Low “took the country by storm, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and quickly became one of Iceland’s most celebrated and popular singer-songwriters”.
Paul Oscar is described as one of Iceland’s “most beloved performing artists, leading and involved in LGBT rights since the early 90′s”.
He enjoyed a triple win at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2007 for his solo album, Allt fyrirástina (Anything For Love).
He also represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, was a judge in both the Icelandic Idol and X-Factor TV series, and is Iceland’s most sought after DJ and performer. Organisers said his float in the Reykjavík Gay Pride parade is always the “most anticipated of all”.
Rainbow Reykjavik says temperatures are moderate year-round, with snow a rarity in the world’s northernmost capital city.
“And always bring a bathing suit, whatever time of the year you visit. A favourite pastime is year-round outdoor swimming in countless geothermally heated pools and lagoons, with a typical temperature of 25-28°C. And there is no better time to see the Northern Lights!“ says Audur Halldorsdottir.
Icelandair is a proud Platinum sponsor for the event, and organisers describe the prices of their package as “unbelievable”:
• Roundtrip flight to Iceland
• 3 nights hotel stay in either Reykjavik Natura or Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
• Flybus transportation from and to the airport
• A soak in the Blue Lagoon
• Welcome party with local performers
• Gullfoss, Gaysir & Fontana Tour & Lunch box
• Dinner at the beautifult Kolabrautin Restaurant in Harpa Concert Hall
• Concert in Harpa
• Party at Barbara & Trúnó
• Light lunch
• LGBT History Walk in Reykjavík
• Cocktail reception
• Dinner Dance Party – Viking Theme

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

China: 16 million women ‘married to gays’.

A university professor in China has estimated that 16 million women in the world’s most populous country are married to gays.
Professor Zhang Bei-chuan of Qingdao University says the huge number of women – equivalent to the population of the Netherlands – who have tied the knot with gay men are struggling to cope.
Speaking to state-run China Daily, the academic said as many as 90% of gay Chinese men marry to conform with social norms.
As of 2010, China had a population of more than 1.3 billion.
According to Professor Zhang Bei-chuan’s estimate, roughly 3% of the country’s adult population is in a gay-straight marriage.
The potentially damaging effect of such marriages was highlighted by 29-year-old Xiao Yao, who was married to a gay man and now runs a support website for wives in similar situations.
She said: “Most gay men’s wives I’ve known are silently suffering at the hands of husbands who could never love them, and like me, some even got abused by husbands who were also under great pressure.
“The website makes them feel they’re not alone and empowers them to make the right choices.”
The number was queried by one of the gay men questioned by the paper, but others said they would consider marrying a woman.
Wang, 27, told the publication he would consider marrying a lesbian if he were forced to wed a woman.
Xiao Dong, a gay man involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, said it was an “unsubstantiated” and “pointless” investigation.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in the People’s Republic in 1997 and its status as a mental disorder revoked in 2001, but legal protection for gays is minimal with no non-discrimination or equal marriage rights and strong censorship rules.

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

Firm discriminated against gay lawyer with ‘batty boy’ friend.

   In a memo discovered by Lee Bennett in firm archives in 2010, a partner at Bivonas LLP had written that he should be sacked and that he would “take our cases to his batty boy mate”.
   The Employment Appeal Tribunal agreed with the original ruling that the content of the memo was “a professional slur of the utmost gravity”.
   The law firm had claimed the note, written in 2008, was a “personal aide-memoire”, not intended to be kept or showed to anyone.
   It lost its argument on appeal that the Employment Tribunal was wrong to say that the insult was a detriment.
   The Employment Appeal Tribunal found no evidence that any straight men had been insulted in the same way as Mr Bennett for being gay.
   The firm could not provide justification for treating Mr Bennett differently to other employees.
   The Equality and Human Rights Commission funded Mr Bennett’s defence against the law firm’s appeal.
John Wadham, Group Director Legal, Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “Homophobia will not be tolerated in the workplace or anywhere else. We funded Mr Bennett’s defence and this win has set a precedent for discrimination law.”
  Bivonas said it had “the appropriate measures in the light of the Tribunal’s observations”.

Πηγή:www.pinknews.co.uk

Gay candidate faces tough battle in Finland vote.

  For his supporters, Pekka Haavisto’s breakthrough into Finland’s presidential runoff defies fears that tolerance is waning in Finland. The gay environmentalist who lives with an Ecuadorean immigrant faces off Sunday against a veteran conservative.
But they have no illusions about Haavisto’s chances.
“I like Haavisto. He’s softer and is on the side of poor, but he won’t win,’’ said Tiinu Wikman, 23, a cosmetologist in Helsinki.
As Finland prepares to elect a new president, Greens candidate Haavisto’s sexual orientation is the elephant in the room. It hasn’t come up in newspaper editorials or been a major issue in election debates between him and his rival Sauli Niinisto.
 Still, analysts expect it to be a decisive factor in the race.
“The two men are very similar in their views on foreign policy — the president’s traditional domain — and there is no obvious clash there,’’ political analyst Olavi Borg said. “But a majority of Finns are not prepared to vote for someone who is Green or to be represented by a homosexual.’’
Among the Nordic nations, which take pride in being progressive and tolerant societies, Finland lagged behind its neighbors in legally recognizing same-sex partnerships. Denmark was the first to do so in 1989, followed by Norway in 1993, Sweden in 1995 and Iceland — whose current prime minister is openly lesbian — in 1996.
Finland’s registered partnership law took effect in 2002, and Haavisto was among the first to use it, entering a union with a hairdresser from Ecuador.
“I have the impression that Finns are tolerant and feel that everyone is entitled to their privacy and that the private lives of others are none of their business,’’ Haavisto, 53, told The Associated Press on Friday. He added that his sexual orientation could be “a hurdle’’ for some voters.
Haavisto, who draws support from a core of young, liberal, urban voters, got 19 percent of the vote to finish second in a field of eight candidates in the first round on Jan. 22. Niinisto, a former finance minister, won with 37 percent, and has maintained a clear lead in surveys leading up to the second round.
A poll published by national broadcaster YLE on Thursday gave Niinisto 62 percent support against 38 percent for Haavisto. Taloustutkimus interviewed 1,492 people in Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 for the survey, which had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
The candidates have a lot in common. They entered politics in 1987, when they were voted into Parliament. They come from affluent backgrounds, share a gentlemanly manner and in true Finnish fashion, have not been provoked into confrontation during debates.

Πηγή:www.biggaynews.com

Gay marriage foes to fight expected Washington state law.

 

As gay couples and their supporters cheered the Washington state Senate‘s unexpectedly swift and decisive passage of a same-sex marriage bill, opponents were already considering how to take down the anticipated law.By a 28-21 vote on Wednesday night, the state Senate passed legislation to legalize gay marriage with exemptions for religious organizations opposed to conducting same-sex weddings or renting their facilities for gay nuptials.

Four Republicans joined 24 Democrats in supporting the bill, which would make Washington the seventh state to recognize same-sex matrimony. Three Democrats sided with 18 Republicans in opposing it.
The measure now heads to the state House of Representatives, where Democrats hold an even wider majority and the bill’s passage by a comfortable margin is expected as early as next week.
Governor Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, has said she would sign a gay marriage bill into law.
With the bill seemingly headed for swift enactment, several parallel efforts by opponents are shaping up to rally Washington voters against the prospective law. Their options included two possible ballot measures in November — a referendum to repeal the gay marriage statute outright and an initiative defining marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman.
The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same sex marriage, also has pledged to provide financial backing for conservative challengers to the four Republican senators who supported the bill when they run for reelection.
DUELING BALLOT QUESTIONS
The proposed initiative to define marriage as between heterosexual couples, led by Everett, Washington attorney Stephen Pidgeon, needs to gather 241,153 signatures of registered voters by July 6 to secure a spot on the ballot.
A referendum to repeal gay marriage would only need 120,577 signatures by June 6, but supporters of that measure must wait until after Gregoire signs the bill before starting to collect them.
“My guess is that foes of gay marriage will be going with the referendum challenge, since it takes fewer signatures and it gives a direct vote up or down on gay marriage,” said Dave Ammons, spokesman for the Washington secretary of state’s office. “The initiative seems to be a backup plan.”
Pidgeon, 57, said he will support the repeal referendum, too, but noted that his initiative can get started sooner and is not based on what lawmakers decide to do.
“We have a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about the initiative. People are gearing up, and we’re going to move ahead strongly, and I believe quickly,” he said. “We already have hundreds of churches that have already pledged thousands of signatures.”
Without the referendum challenge, a gay marriage law would take effect June 7, 90 days after the March 8 conclusion of the legislative session. If the referendum qualifies for the ballot, the law would be suspended until the November election and certification of the returns, meaning December 6, before it is either repealed or goes into effect.
Under the initiative process by contrast, gay marriages could proceed June 7, regardless of the ballot-qualification process. It is unclear whether any unions officiated in the meantime would be nullified if Pidgeon’s measure were to pass in November.
There is precedent in California for handling such a situation. California‘s Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2008, only for voters to approve a constitutional amendment six months later defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The state’s high court ruled that the 18,000 same-sex couples who tied the knot between May and November, 2008, were still legal.
Chris Plante, regional coordinator for the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage (NOM), said that his group plans to back the referendum effort, but will “keep the initiative in our back pocket.”
“We’re going to go forward as a united group because what’s more important than the process is the end game of overturning this law and restoring marriage to its rightful definition,” he said.
His group has not decided how much money it could provide for a ballot campaign to ban same-sex marriage, Plante said, but he estimated that such an effort would cost over $2 million.
The group said it will also follow through on its pledge to spend $250,000 to defeat the Republican senators who voted for the bill, should they seek office again.
“Politicians have to understand that there’s a price to pay for voting to redefine marriage — it is not what the people of Washington want,” Plante said.
Evidence of how Washington voters feel about same-sex marriage is mixed.
According to a University of Washington poll of state voters last October, 44 percent said they support the right to marry for gay men and lesbians, but 55 percent said that if such a law was already on the books they would not vote to overturn it.
According to Plante, voters in 31 states have approved ballot measures to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, and voters have never approved same-sex marriage in any state referendum. All six states to have legalized gay marriage have done so either through the courts or state legislatures.
In 2009, voters approved Washington state’s expanded domestic partnership benefits by a vote of 53 to 47 percent, despite a campaign against that ballot measure.
Pidgeon, who worked on that campaign, said he believes a ballot question against gay marriage would be more successful, because people who may be otherwise supportive or undecided about same-sex partnerships “draw the line” at marriage. Such voters, he said, are now more convinced that state lawmakers are leading them down a slippery slope.
Pidgeon filed his initiative with the Secretary of State’s Office on January 9. It ranks among more than a dozen initiatives proposed so far, their subjects ranging from marijuana to plastic bag use.
Evangelical Pastor Steven Andrew, president of the USA Christian Ministries in California, has called for a national boycott of Starbucks in response to the Seattle-based company’s endorsement of the gay marriage bill, and for Christians to stop serving the coffee brand at their facilities and events.
“Starbucks can follow Satan if they want to. However, pastors are to help Christians. Are you on the Lord’s side? Will you help the USA be blessed by God?” he said in a written statement.
Asked about the call for a boycott, Starbucks repeated its longstanding support for equality of gays and lesbians.
“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington state legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples,” the company said in an email to Reuters.

By Nicole Neroulias

 

Πηγή:Gay Today

Washington state Senate poised to OK gay marriage.

The Washington state Senate was expected to vote endorse legalization of gay marriage Wednesday night, which would move the state a step closer to becoming the nation’s seventh to recognize same-sex unions.The vote, scheduled to start following a floor debate, is considered pivotal given that gay rights advocates have previously failed to muster sufficient support in the state Senate to ensure passage.
The political dynamic shifted after Governor Christine Gregoire, a Democrat in her final year in office, announced last month she was backing the gay marriage bill.
Democratic Senator Ed Murray, its chief sponsor, said last week proponents had secured the 25 votes needed for a simple majority in the 49-seat chamber. Murray has said he hoped to end up with 27 or more votes, though the controversial issue was likely to result in a lengthy floor debate that could last well into the night.
With passage in the state House of Representatives already seen as virtually assured, opponents of same-sex matrimony say they will seek the measure’s repeal with a referendum asking voters to reaffirm marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman.
To qualify for the November ballot, they would need to collect at least 120,577 signatures of registered voters by July 6.
Six other states recognize same-sex marriage — New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa — as does the District of Columbia. Supporters are moving to pass similar statutes in Maryland and New Jersey.
A referendum to legalize gay marriage in Maine has qualified for the November ballot there.
FASTER THAN EXPECTED
Washington state’s lower House could vote on gay marriage as early as February 8. Should it reach the governor’s desk, Gregoire plans to sign the measure, barring any drastic changes made during the rest of the legislative session, which ends March 8, a representative of the governor said.
Both House and Senate versions of the bill include language to allow gay couples from out of state to get married in Washington. They both include an amendment allowing religious organizations to refuse to rent out their chapels or other facilities as venues for same-sex weddings.
The legislation was moving faster than originally anticipated, said Representative Jamie Pedersen, the bill’s prime sponsor in the House.
“The groundswell of support … was much better than what we could have hoped for,” Pedersen said. “Big controversial things usually get resolved in the last days of session, so this is somewhat unusual.”
Opponents point out that voters have yet to approve gay marriage in any state referendum and have in some instances overturned same-sex marriage laws enacted by legislators or the courts. Gay marriage remains outlawed in more than 40 states.
Oregon voters passed a law upholding traditional marriage in 2004, voiding same-sex weddings that some counties had performed earlier that year. California voters in 2008 approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. That measure is under challenge in federal court.
Six prominent Pacific Northwest companies, including Microsoft and Nike, have endorsed Washington‘s legislation.
On the other side, the state’s Catholic bishops and other religious conservatives are amassing thousands of Washingtonians against the legislation, including voters who supported the state’s expansion of domestic-partnership benefits in recent years but draw the line at marriage.
By Nicole Neroulias
OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) – (Editing by Steve Gorman and Daniel Trotta)

Πηγή:www.gaytoday.com

MEN HAVING BABIES

The Network of European LGBT Family Associations (NELFA) will host the first “Men Having Babies – Europe” Surrogacy Seminar and Gay Parenting Expo on April 29, 2012. It will take place in Lloret de Mar, near Barcelona, Spain, as part of a 4-day conference and family gathering expected to attract hundreds of LGBT parents and parents-to-be. More than a dozen leading USA and European clinics and surrogacy agencies already signed up as sponsors and exhibitors, recognizing the growing interest in surrogacy in Europe.

The full day elaborate seminar and exhibit will offer a comprehensive “how-to” program for gay men who want to become parents. Among the speakers will be experts in the medical, psychological, legal and practical aspects of the surrogacy process, along with a surrogate mother and gay surrogacy parents. Prospective parents and LGBT family activists will also have opportunities to learn about service providers at the Gay Parenting Services Exhibit before and after the seminar. In addition, eight leading agencies and clinics from the United States and Europe will offer hour-long presentations on Sunday and Monday afternoon. Among the topics are ethical surrogacy practices, international surrogacy laws, know vs. anonymous egg donations, and speaking to surrogacy kids about their origin. While prospective parents are encouraged to join the hundreds of families attending the gathering for its full length, a one-day attendance including meals is offered for a small fee (€25).
“We highly recommend that prospective parents join us for the full four day gathering,” said Elisabeth Vendrell, president of FLG, the hosting LGBT Families organization in Catalonia. “If you are either prospective parents or already have children, the LGBT Families gathering can be a terrific opportunity to meet hundreds of parents and parents-to-be from more than a dozen countries.” The organizers expect about 800 participants (having already received more than 400 bookings), and the group will take over a hotel in the resort town of Lloret de Mar, to enjoy a combination of social, educational and fun activities, including sightseeing excursions in Barcelona and elsewhere. “Thanks to the generous support of government and private sponsors this all-inclusive program is also very affordable,” said Ms. Vendrell, “a typical family of four will only spend about €300 including all meals and excursions.”
The parenting seminar and expo is offered based on a similar program that has been running in NY for the last seven years. “In recent years we have witnessed a growing interest in surrogacy among European gay men,” said Ron Poole-Dayan, the coordinator of the Men Having Babies network that organizes the NY program. “We were happy to assist our European friends to assemble a program that is in fact more comprehensive than the one we have been offering in NY,” he said.
Around the continent there are dramatic social changes with advances in LGBT rights, visibility and social acceptance, and a growing desire to become parents. Leading and benefiting from these trends are the LGBT family associations around the continent, many of whom established in the last few years. The umbrella organization, NELFA, grew from 7 members in 2009 to 20 today. In the first European wide conference in Paris over 500 people participated, and the event enjoyed unprecedented attention from public figures and the media.
> For more information and to register to the Men Having Babies seminar go to: http://www.MenHavingBabies.org/europe
> For more information and registration for the Second European LGBT Families Gathering in Catalonia go to: http://www.MenHavingBabies.org/catalonia2012
About the Network of European LGBT Families Organizations (NELFA)
The Network of European LGBT Families Associations (NELFA) was created in 2009 to bring together the associations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children from European nations under one organization. While strong organizations in places like the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain have been around for a decade or more, and already represent tens of thousands families, many new “Rainbow Families” organizations have been created in recent years in countries such as the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal and Hungary. Since its formation NELFA grew from 7 members to 20 associations from 17 different countries.
More information: http://www.NELFA.org
The objective of the Second European LGBT Families Conference
The Second European Conference on LGBT Families will combine presentations, workshops, shared life experiences and leisure time. We are expecting between 700 and 800 people from different European countries and beyond. Our main objective is to empower social change, make our families visible, and have an impact on the media in our respective countries. We work together with other organizations and governments to address inequality suffered by LGBT families and their children and spread the achievements of LGBT rights across the continent.
More information: http://www.familieslgtb2012.org

Πηγή:www.gaytoday.com