MARRIAGE

NEPAL REGISTERS FIRST LGBTQ MARRIAGE IN ‘MILESTONE DAY.’ An LGBTQ couple, one claiming to be a transgender woman, has acquired a marriage certificate in Nepal, a first in South Asia. Read more here.

HOW PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD VIEW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Attitudes about same-sex marriage vary widely around the world, and Pew Research Center surveys reveal that the highest level of support comes from Sweden, where 92 percent of adults favor it, and the lowest support is in Nigeria, where only 2 percent back it. Read more here.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: INDIA’S SUPREME COURT REVIEWING PETITIONS ON OCTOBER 17 VERDICT. The Supreme Court of India is considering petitions seeking review of the October 17 judgement which refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples. Read more here.

ROMANIAN PM: COUNTRY IS NOT READY FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. The European Court of Human Rights issued a verdict that Romania must recognize same-sex couples by March 25, 2024, but Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says it’s not a priority, and the nation isn’t ready for it. Read more here.

THAILAND’S CABINET APPROVES MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL TO GRANT SAME-SEX COUPLES EQUAL RIGHTS. Thailand’s cabinet approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex marriage with an expectation for the draft to be submitted to Parliament next month. Read more here.

COUPLE MARRIED ABROAD FIGHTS FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RIGHTS IN JAPAN. A Japanese and French couple who married in France has petitioned a family court in Japan to order the Amagasaki city government to accept their marriage registration. Read more here.

LATVIAN PARLIAMENT LEGALIZES SAME-SEX PARTNERSHIPS. Homosexuality remains a divisive topic in Latvia, but its parliament voted to allow same-sex couples to establish civil unions, providing them with legal recognition and fewer rights than married couples. Read more here.

ISLE OF MAN CHURCH TO APPLY TO BE FIRST TO OFFER SAME-SEX MARRIAGES. A Methodist church in Douglas could become the first to offer same-sex marriages on the Isle of Man after applying for a license to do so. Read more here.

DOZENS OF CHURCH OF ENGLAND BISHOPS WANT TO ALLOW CLERGY SAME-SEX CIVIL MARRIAGES. Forty-four senior church figures, including 15 diocesan and 29 assistant or suffragan bishops, issued a statement this week calling for immediate guidance to allow LGBT clergy and ordinands to marry. Read more here.

CZECH REPUBLIC ATTEMPTS TO MAKE DIVORCE EASIER. Divorces will get easier and quicker in the country after the minister of justice completes divorce-related amendments to the marriage law. Read more here.

CONSERVATIVE HARVARD PROFESSOR DESCRIBES ‘CONDEMNATION’ FOR VIEWS ON MARRIAGE, ABORTION. Harvard School of Public Health Professor Tyler VanderWeele is fighting against cancellation by his peers after he publicly came out against the Supreme Court’s redefining of marriage. Read more here.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE REMAINS BANNED – FOR NOW – IN THE NAVAJO NATION. Many members of the Navajo Nation Council have shown support for LGBTQ rights, but efforts to approve of same-sex marriage have failed twice before, and a pending bill faces opposition among the 170,000 residents of the Navajo Nation, where conservative Christian teachings run deep. Read more here.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND ADMITS SAME-SEX COUPLE BLESSING SERVICES UNLIKELY BEFORE 2025. Prayers of blessing for same-sex couples in the Church of England should be acceptable “soon,” but approval for standalone services might not come for well over a year from now, a bishop has said. Read more here.

INDIA’S TOP COURT DECLINES TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN LANDMARK LGBTQ RULING. India’s high court refused to legalize same-sex unions in a ruling that also emphasized the rights of the LGBTQ community to be free of prejudice and discrimination. Read more here.

HONG KONG COURT UPHOLDS RULINGS BACKING SUBSIDIZED HOUSING BENEFITS FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES. A Hong Kong court supported two earlier rulings that granted subsidized housing benefits to same-sex couples. Read more here.

INDIA’S SUPREME COURT TO HAND DOWN VERDICT ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. India’s top court will deliver a verdict this week on granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages, a ruling that has the potential to spark momentous changes in the world’s most populous country. Read more here.

BRAZIL FAR RIGHT MOVES TO BAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. A commission of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a bill promoted by the right that proposes ending same-sex marriage, even though it has been legally recognized since 2011. Read more here.

POPE SIGNALS OPENNESS TO BLESSINGS FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES. The Pope wrote in a letter “there are ‘situations’ that may not be ‘morally acceptable’ but where a priest can assess, on a case-by-case basis, whether blessings may be given — as long as such blessings are kept separate from the sacrament of marriage.” Read more here.

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS TELLS ROMANIA TO RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX COUPLES. The court ruled that Romania violated Article 8 of the European Convention, which protects the right to respect for family life, by not giving LGBTQ+ couples any means of legally safeguarding their relationships. Read more here.

CALIFORNIA GOP REJECTS EFFORTS TO STRIP ABORTION, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE FROM PLATFORM. California Republicans attending their fall conference swiftly shut down a proposal that would have cut opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage from their platform, frustrating members who had hoped a more liberal approach would increase their chances of success in a state where they are continually falling behind. Read more here.

FATE OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN NAMIBIA LIES IN PRESIDENT’S HANDS. Namibia legislator Jerry Ekandjo’s private member’s bill, which deals with changes to the Marriage Act, including the prohibition of same-sex marriage and any acknowledgment of such unions in Namibia, has sailed through both chambers of Parliament. Read more here.

ROMANIA’S SOCIAL DEMOCRATS RELUCTANT TO RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. The European Human Rights Court called on Romania to urgently change its laws, but the nation’s ruling government coalition is resisting. Read more here.

GREECE MULLS LEGALIZING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE; ADOPTIONS. The conservative government in Greece is considering legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption for gay couples, as an openly gay politician was elected leader of the main opposition. Read more here.

ROMANIA GOVERNMENT PROPOSES TO RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGES CONDUCTED IN EU. The Romanian government has approved a draft law stating that same-sex couples who were married in a European Union nation will be legally recognized in Romania. Read more here.

LUTHERANS IN ESTONIA STOP MARRYING COUPLES BECAUSE OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Because Estonia approved of same-sex marriages, Lutheran churches have decided to forego marriage registrations since this summer. Read more here.

THE U.S. MARRIAGE RATE REBOUNDS TO ITS PRE-PANDEMIC LEVEL. After two years of decline, marriages in the U.S. have now returned to pre-pandemic levels of 34 per 1,000 according to the newly released 2022 American Community Survey from the Census Bureau. Read more here.

ALMOST HALF OF DUTCH NEWBORNS HAVE AN UNMARRIED MOTHER. In total, 42 percent of the babies born in 2022 (nearly 71,000 in all) did not have married parents, new statistics of the Dutch agency CBS show. Read more here.

LAW WOULD GIVE ISLAND OF JERSEY SAME-SEX PARENTS EQUAL RIGHTS. Proposed laws to give same-sex parents in Jersey equal rights are due to be lodged with the States by the end of the year, Assistant Minister for Children Louise Doublet, said. Read more here.

IS A CRISIS IN UKRAINIAN MARRIAGES IMMINENT? Compared to last year, the number of people who applied for marriage has declined by almost 20 per cent, while the number of divorces has risen by 33 per cent. Read more here.

PEW SURVEY: EIGHT IN 10 MALAYSIANS OPPOSE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, LOCAL BUDDHISTS MOST SUPPORTIVE. Only 17 per cent of respondents polled said they favored allowing same-sex marriage to be made legal — the second-lowest level of support among the six countries surveyed. Read more here.

GERMAN BISHOPS FIGHT OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Roman Catholic doctrine disapproves of same-sex marriage, but dissenting bishops organized a mass blessing in protest against Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, who had criticized the blessing of same-sex couples. Read more here.

JURY DECIDES IN FAVOR OF KENTUCKY SAME-SEX COUPLE DENIED MARRIAGE LICENSE. The couple sued former county clerk Kim Davis who was briefly jailed in 2015 over her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Read more here.

JAPAN COURT DENIES SPOUSAL BENEFITS TO SAME-SEX COUPLE. A Japanese court ruled that a person in a same-sex relationship is not entitled to spousal benefits provided to a person in marriage or in a common-law marital relationship, rejecting a damages claim sought by a woman against her former employer. Read more here.

CONSERVATIVES IN DENMARK PROPOSE ACTION AGAINST DIVORCES. One in three children experiences their parents divorcing, along with the resulting consequences, and the Conservative Party wants to reserve funding for the prevention of divorces. Read more here.

HONG KONG COURT GIVES ‘PARTIAL VICTORY’ TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTERS. Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal ordered the government to come up with a plan to recognize same-sex marriage after justices ruled that it had failed to constitutionally develop a framework. Read more here.

SAME-SEX COUPLE WINS EUROPEAN COURT RULING AGAINST BULGARIA. The European Court of Human Rights condemned Bulgaria over its refusal to recognize the marital status of a lesbian couple who previously married in the United Kingdom. Read more here.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN GREECE TO BE LEGALIZED. A draft bill to be submitted to the Greek Parliament in the coming months will extend equal marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples, five years after the leftist-led government passed legislation granting fostering rights to same-sex couples. Read more here.

LARGE GLOBAL CORPORATIONS CALL ON CZECH PM TO ACCEPT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Major corporations operating in Czechia, such as Vodafone, Microsoft, Danone, ČSOB, and Ikea are calling upon Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to endorse marriage equality for same-sex couples. Read more here.

FOUR OUT OF 10 UKRAINIANS OPPOSE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. In total, 42 per cent of the participants of a survey were against legalization of same-sex marriage, while 37 percent were explicitly in favor. Read more here.

MALAWI’S PARLIAMENT RECOMMENDS REFERENDUM ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGES. In the southern African nation that criminalizes homosexuality, faith leaders have spoken out against same-sex relations, but the parliament is recommending a referendum on whether or not to legalize it. Read more here.

OVER 4,000 SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN NEW ZEALAND SINCE BECOMING LEGAL A DECADE AGO. At the 10th anniversary mark of the legalization of same-sex marriages in New Zealand, just two percent of all marriages are between persons of the same sex. Read more here.

DON’T LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ANGLICAN CHURCH URGES. The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has called on the federal government to resist pressure from Western powers to rescind its stand against same-sex marriage in the country. Read more here.

GUATEMALAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SANDRA TORRES LEADS ON CONSERVATIVE VALUES OPPOSING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. In her third run for the presidency, former First Lady Sandra Torres has drafted an evangelical pastor as her running mate and is leaning heavily on her firm commitments to keep abortion and same-sex marriage illegal in Guatemala. Read more here.

WILL THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SPLIT OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE? A decade after same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales, the Church of England still refuses to allow LGBTQ+ couples to celebrate with a traditional church wedding, but internal splits over proposed reforms threaten to change that church policy. Read more here.

NAMIBIA’S LAW AGAINST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SPARKS CONTROVERSY. Although the new law banning same-sex marriage and punishing their supporters was adopted by the upper house without encountering any opposition, it still needs to be endorsed by the lower house and promulgated by President Hage Geingob to come into force. Read more here.

CANDIDATES FOR NEXT BISHOP OF ALBANY ALL PRO-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. The Albany, N.Y., diocese is the last in the Episcopal Church to prohibit same-sex marriage, but all four candidates for the role of bishop indicated that they would allow same-sex couples to marry in church. Read more here.

STATE BARS CATHOLIC COUPLE FROM FOSTERING DUE TO TRADITIONAL BELIEFS ABOUT MARRIAGE AND GENDER. A Catholic couple is suing Massachusetts state officials after allegedly being told they were unable to foster children due to their religious beliefs about marriage and sexuality, according to court documents. Read more here.

MARRIED PEOPLE MOST LIKELY TO IDENTIFY AS ‘VERY HAPPY’: REPORT. A new study reveals that married people have consistently been more likely to characterize themselves as “very happy” than non-married people over the course of nearly a half-century, with marital status serving as the most significant determinant of an individual’s level of happiness. Read more here.

MANY YOUNG ADULTS SAY MARRIAGE IS AN ‘OUTDATED TRADITION’: SURVEY. While a significant number of millennials and Gen Z’ers view marriage as an “outdated tradition” and are opting for cohabitation instead, many still plan to marry someday, according to a survey by the Thriving Center of Psychology. Read more here.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL ADVANCES IN NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL. The Navajo Nation Council in 2005 passed a resolution to ban same-sex marriage, but a new measure passed by the tribal council would reverse much of that measure. Read more here.

LITHUANIA DEBATES THE LEGALIZATION OF SAME-SEX PARTNERSHIPS. The Parliament has extended its current session in order to debate a number of sensitive and potentially dangerous issues, including same-sex partnerships or civil unions. Read more here.

NEPAL’S INTERIM VERDICT ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE—A CLARION CALL FOR INDIA? The Nepal Supreme Court’s recent ruling requiring the government to register same-sex relationships is expected to have an impact on an upcoming verdict regarding a similar plea at the Supreme Court of India. Read more here.

INDIA COULD SOON BECOME THE SECOND COUNTRY IN ASIA TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. The Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage is expected soon in this conservative nation where Muslim personal law and Hindu law do not permit marriage between same-sex persons. Read more here.

REFERENDUM ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUFFERS SETBACK IN BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS. The government’s planned referendum on same-sex marriages has encountered delays, as the government addresses the need for additional legislative amendments to make the referendum smoother. Read more here.

MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT EXPANDS PARENTAL RIGHTS FOR SAME-SEX PARTNERS. The court broke new ground in the dispute over parental rights by saying a woman can seek custody of her partner’s child who was born before their same-sex relationship ended. Read more here.

PERUVIAN COURT OPENS DOOR TO LEGALLY RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX COUPLES. A Peruvian high court has ordered same-sex unions to be legally registered in public records, marking a victory for the LGBTQ community in a country that has been reluctant to recognize homosexual couples. Read more here.

UK STUDY FINDS UNMARRIED PARENTS FAR MORE LIKELY TO SPLIT BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN BECOME TEENAGERS. According to a report published by the UK Marriage Foundation, parents who cohabit but never marry are far more likely to split up before their child becomes a teenager. The study found that 46 per cent of 14-year-olds in the UK are no longer living with both natural parents. Read more here.

LEGISLATORS IN NAMIBIA VOTE ON A LAW AGAINST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Namibia’s upper house of Parliament passed a law banning same-sex marriage and punishing supporters, contradicting a judgment by its Supreme Court’s authorization of the recognition of certain unions contracted abroad. Read more here.

MALAWI RELIGIOUS LEADERS PROTEST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Hundreds of protesters from both of the country’s major religions—Christianity and Islam— gathered in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre, to protest what they call the potential legalization of same-sex marriage in the country. Read more here.

BRITISH SOCIAL WORKER LOSES JOB OFFER OVER CHRISTIAN VIEW OF MARRIAGE. Felix Ngole, who previously won a landmark free speech case over his belief in Christian marriage, had a job offer withdrawn by Wakefield Hospital unless he embraced and promoted homosexual rights. Read more here.

Study finds 45 years of teens shifting views on marriage, family, and work. The study reports that today’s young adults are delaying marriage and parenthood compared to just a few decades ago, due to a lengthening of the transition to adulthood that has occurred in recent years. Read more here.

House Republican plan penalizes marriage. A record-high 25 percent of 40-year-olds in the U.S. were never married in 2021, according to the Pew Research Center, and a new tax proposal put forward by Republicans in the U.S. House would penalize marriage and subsidize cohabitation. Read more here.

Shaningwa scolds Kawana over accepting Namibia same-sex judgement. Sophia Shaningwa, secretary general of the South West African People’s Organization, confronted Albert Kawana, the minister of home affairs, immigration, safety, and security in Namibia, regarding his failure to table a motion to modify the definition of the term “spouse” in the Immigration Control Act. Read more here.

Czech lawmakers give first nod to same-sex marriage bill, opposition ahead. The Czech parliament’s lower house gave initial approval to a bill to allow same-sex marriages, though conservative lawmakers signaled it could still face opposition and possible changes in further debates. Read more here.

Namibian government bows to same-sex marriage judgement. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security says it will comply with a Supreme Court judgement that Namibia must recognize two same-sex couples’ marriages that took place lawfully outside the country. Read more here.

How Michigan could reconsider a 2004 move to ban same-sex marriage. House Joint Resolution F would strike from the state constitution wording explicitly restricting marriage to a man and woman, but the redefining of marriage would still require a two-thirds majority vote in the state House and passage of a state ballot proposition. Read more here.

Estonia could become first Baltic state to legalize same-sex marriage. A vote on the issue will be held next week, just shy of a decade since the nation introduced same-sex civil unions. Read more here.

Effort to excise California same-sex marriage ban heats up. From state lawmakers to local elected officials, there has been a groundswell of support in recent days to repeal Proposition 8’s “zombie language” from state statutes. Read more here.

How people in 24 countries view same-sex marriage. A new Pew Research Center survey of 24 countries found that support for legal same-sex marriage is highest in Sweden, where 92 percent of adults favor it, and lowest in Nigeria, where only 2 percent back it. Read more here.

Former President Rüütel: Same-sex marriage would polarize Estonian society. Changing marriage law in the nation should not be made without the strong backing of our citizenry, and same-sex marriage is not legal in the Baltic states, the ex-leader stated. Read more here.

The Iowa couple behind the state’s landmark same-sex marriage ruling in 2009 now worry about the future of that law. Following the proposal of two Iowa bills targeting same-sex marriage, the couple (Kate and Trish Varnum) whose lawsuit previously overturned Iowa’s marriage law barring same-sex marriage have renewed fears about how long those rights will last. Read more here.

Three courts in Japan ruled the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, but the nation’s lawmakers are reluctant to legalize it. Two courts opposed same-sex marriage, and the ruling party in Parliament has a reputation for leaning towards more conservative. Read more here.

Ukraine obliged to recognize same-sex relationships. A court case between a Ukrainian same-sex couple and the Ukrainian state has resulted in the European Court of Human Rights ruling that Ukraine is violating human rights by not recognizing same-sex relationships. Read more here.

Czech Parliament Divided About Same-Sex Marriage. The Czech parliament was not able to decide whether the present civil partnership should be broadened to same-sex marriage. Read more here.

European Rights Court Rules Against Ukraine in Same-Sex Union Case. A same-sex couple who tried unsuccessfully to get married at seven different register offices in Ukraine suffered discrimination, the European Court of Human Rights ruled. Read more here.

Japan Gov’t Should Move Quickly to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage. Citing a court ruling banning same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, the Japanese publication Mainichi called it a “harsh and continuous rebuke of Japan’s current lack of recognition for same-sex couples.” Read more here.

Thailand’s Move Forward Party Prioritizes Marriage. The Move Forward Party that won a majority in last month’s election is prioritizing a same-sex marriage bill with the support of Thailand’s Prime Minister-in-waiting Pita Limjaroenrat. If he can form a new government. Read more here.