Taipei asks constitutional court to rule on gay marriage

Taipei city government is to seeking a constitutional interpretation as to whether Taiwan’s civil code violates the constitution by limiting marriage to straight couples.

Article 972 of the civil code states that ‘an agreement to marry shall be made by the male and the female parties in their own concord.’

Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that the American constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marriage, Taipei has asked the justices of the Taiwanese constitutional court to decide whether the above article encroaches on the rights to freedom and equality.

‘For a long time, gays and lesbians have been pursuing their equal marriage rights, but there have always been disputes,’ Hong Jin-da, chief of Civic Registry Division of the city’s Department of Civil Affairs, told CNA news agency.

‘The Taipei city government is seeking a constitutional interpretation to quell the disputes.’

The question of whether marriage laws are unconstitutional has arisen in the past, but the constitutional court has never issued an interpretation – although four of the 15 grand justices have publicly stated they do not support gay marriage.

This latest move comes weeks after the city started allowing gay residents to register their relationships – so far, 11 couples so far have done so.

Taipei also announced Thursday (23 July) that it would open its mass wedding in October to gay couples.

The post Taipei asks constitutional court to rule on gay marriage appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/taipei-asks-constitutional-court-to-rule-on-gay-marriage/

Meet the OG Diva Who Paved the Way for Monroe, Midler

A new documentary chronicles the life of Sophie Tucker, who delighted audiences with her bawdy songs, loved both men and women, and set the standard for all divas who followed.

read more

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/07/24/meet-og-diva-who-paved-way-monroe-midler

European Court Italy ruling may open door to gay civil unions in British Caribbean

A leading Jamaican LGBTI activist and lawyer has made a convincing case that the European Court of Human Rights decision that Italy must provide legal recognition to same-sex relationships sets a legal precedent that can apply as far away as Britain’s remaining possessions in the Caribbean.

The court has jurisdiction over the 47 countries that have signed the European Convention on Human Rights – meaning its Italian ruling potentially sets a precedent for every European country except Belarus to provide some form of legal recognition for gay unions.

However, as Britain is a signatory, the remaining Caribbean British Overseas Territories – The Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Monserrat, and The Turks and Caicos Islands – also fall under its jurisdiction.

In 2000 the court ruled that anti-sodomy laws violate the European Convention on Human Rights which compelled Britain to pass the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order which decriminalized gay sex throughout its remaining Caribbean possessions.

Now Tomlinson says a similar precedent has been set by the court around recognition of gay unions.

‘In a far-reaching decision, the Court found that relationship equality is a human right under the European Convention on Human Rights,’ Tomlinson wrote in an op-ed piece for global LGBTI rights blog 76 Crimes.

‘Although this decision is specific to Italy, it is very persuasive precedent for the other 46 members of the Council of Europe and their dependencies. Britain is bound by the decision of this court and so are the British Overseas Territories (BOT).’

‘While these territories are in charge of their domestic laws, Britain is responsible, and liable, for their international obligations and affairs.’

But while the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that legal recognition of same-sex relationships is a human right in Europe it has not ruled that same-sex marriage is so it will be up to individual Caribbean British Overseas Territories as to what form any legal recognition might take.

The post European Court Italy ruling may open door to gay civil unions in British Caribbean appeared first on Gay Star News.

Andrew Potts

www.gaystarnews.com/article/european-court-italy-ruling-may-open-door-to-gay-civil-unions-in-british-caribbean/

Poland parliament passes first trans recognition bill

The Polish parliament’s lower house has passed the country’s first transgender recognition legislation.

Poland’s first transgender MP, Anna Grodzka, introduced the Gender Accordance Act in May 2012, and it was finally passed on Thursday (23 July) by 252 votes to 158, with 11 absentations.

Under the proposed law, an unmarried transgender citizen would be able to apply for a new birth certificate and new documents proving their educational and employment history without having to undergo surgery or hormone therapy.

They would, however, need to present two independent confirmations of ‘being a person of a different gender identity than the gender legally assigned’ from a clinical psychologist or doctor.

Although Poland has legally recognized transgender people since the the 1960s, the requirements have never been codified which has led to confusing court proceedings.

‘It is a huge victory for trans people in Poland,’ said Wiktor Dynarski, president and executive director of the advocacy group Trans-Fuzja Foundation.

‘For the past few days we have seen members of parliament advocating both against and for the law, but it was for the first time that we actually heard Polish policymakers openly protecting bodily autonomy of trans people and recognizing that trans citizens need to have their dignity assured.’

The Gender Accordance Act still needs to be passed by the senate and signed by the president before it can become law in January 2016.

The post Poland parliament passes first trans recognition bill appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/poland-parliament-passes-first-trans-recognition-bill/

Watch: Boyfriend experiment in Kiev ends in neo-Nazi attack

A gay couple were pepper-sprayed and kicked by a gang of neo-Nazi youths while filming a boyfriend experiment video in Kiev.

Following the legalization of gay marriage in the US, a Russian TV channel conducted a social experiment to see what would happen if two men held hands as they walked through the streets of Moscow.

Zoryan Kis and Tymur Levchuk repeated the same experiment in the Ukrainian capital for Bird In Flight magazine – but with different results.

At first, they walked around the city holding hands, which attracted stares but not much else.

‘We never heard any insults, and those people who did have a verbal reaction… we were like aliens to them,’ Kis says in the video.

The couple then ‘decided to be a little more provocative’ and Levchuk sat on Kis’s lap on a bench on Kiev’s main street with a bouquet of flowers.

It was here that they were approached by a gang of neo-Nazi youths.

‘It looks like they’re fucking mistaking this place for America,’ says one of the men.

They were then asked if they were ‘patriots’ before they were pepper-sprayed and kicked by several of the men.

Watch the video below:

The post Watch: Boyfriend experiment in Kiev ends in neo-Nazi attack appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-boyfriend-experiment-in-kiev-ends-in-neo-nazi-attack/

Swimsuit Models Give Queerty Private Show! And We Sneak Into The Versace Mansion!

Outlander has a rule when traveling: walk with purpose, but be ready for anything. If you’re going to pass through a doorway, you should walk in like you belong there. You never know what’s going to happen while you’re there. For instance, you could be walking down the street in Miami, and find yourself wandering into the Cabana Show, a trade show with aisle after aisle of swimwear worn by models standing around waiting to be adored. It is technically for retail buyers, but security was lax so it was easy to sneak in and chat up the boys. Let’s meet a few of our favorites: the first pic on the left is Damien, a cute little snack from Argentina, wearing Sundek; Angelo is from the Dominican Republic, and he is wearing Orlebar Brown; and Tomas, from Slovakia, has his deliciously trim waist wrapped in Parke & Ronen.

They were cute. Although it is hard to pay attention to anyone else in the room when Eddie Cibrian walks in.

Mr. Cibrian was there to accompany his lovely wife, the glorious chanteuse Leann Rimes, as she perused the racks of bikinis that will hit the market next season. There is a certain allure to a young guy with perfect abs, but we happily admit a little grey scruff on a handsome man’s chin can be very sexy.

Later that evening we walked with purpose up to Casa Casurina, a.k.a. the former Versace Mansion, for another show that did not feature any menswear; but there was the promise of seeing Versace’s famed swimming pool, as well as a free cocktail or two, so of course we went and pretended to be interested in the clothes. The show was outside, but one of the security guards temporarily left his post and Outlander may have accidentally run into the building to find a bathroom and take a little tour.

Here is the view from the third floor lav.

Dan Renzi

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/sp4kllzYO5E/swimsuit-models-give-queerty-private-show-and-we-sneak-into-the-versace-mansion-20150723