We Don’t: How Australians Are Saying No To The Marriage Act

We Don’t: How Australians Are Saying No To The Marriage Act








Cakes from Gay Cakes in Sydney

Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill - Third Reading - Part 20

Love is love - the very moving passing of the bill for Marriage Equality in New Zealand.  Really worth a watch and listen to the beautiful singing.  (click on the title link to view)

The BIG Benefit Of Same-Sex Marriage

The BIG Benefit Of Same-Sex Marriage

Contact me to talk abour your ideas for your ceremony www.sydneycelebrantelainesearle.com.au

or email my email

Christian ministers not compelled to marry same sex couples

Click on the link above for an article about same sex marriage.


Cakes from Gay Cakes in Sydney.

World Champion Axeman and former NSW Premier backing gay marriage

Click on the links above for an article from the Sydney Morning Herald about the Tasmanian Axe Champion, David Foster, and why he is in favour of marriage equality for same sex couples, and the link below for Kristina Keneally's view on Christianity and marriage equality.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMLjdllgJzY

Link to "Compass" program video on Same Sex Marriage

ABC Australia report on New York Gay Marriage legislation

New York approves Same Sex Marriage

Australians and Same Sex Marriage

Most Australians see gay marriage future: poll

(AFP) – 5 hours ago

SYDNEY — Three out of four Australians believe the law will eventually be changed to allow same-sex marriage, a poll showed Wednesday, prompting activists to renew their call for gay weddings.
The Galaxy poll, commissioned by lobby group Australian Marriage Equality and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, questioned 1,052 adults on whether gay marriage was just a matter of time.
"Three in four of Australians say that it is inevitable that eventually the law will change in Australia to allow same-sex couples to marry," it found.
Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich said most Australians already supported gay marriage, and the latest survey confirmed the public's growing acceptance of reform.
"Australians have had the discussion, they have had the conversation, and they are either supportive of it or have accepted that it will happen," he told AFP.
Greenwich said support for gay marriage had soared over the past decade, reaching about 62 percent according to a 2010 Galaxy poll, compared with a 30 percent support level six years earlier.
Gay marriage is currently banned under Australian law and opposed by both major political parties, but in November lawmakers agreed to canvass public opinion on the issue, which was repeatedly raised during the 2010 election.
The left-wing Greens, a key partner in Prime Minister Julia Gillard's minority coalition government, want a conscience vote on the issue, arguing there is widespread public support for a change to marriage laws.
Gillard, who is herself unmarried, has repeatedly said that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

An Article on Same Sex Marriage

http://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/marriage-is-a-right-keep-religion-out-1.1962096

Just another opinion on this issue.

The Washington Post article on Gay Marriage

Power of Love drives gay marriage debate. ABC news story

Marriage is not just about religion

An interesting article which examines secular marriage & same sex marriage.

Cakes especially for Same Sex unions

I came across this cake artist, Dean at Gay Cakes just recently.  I was most impressed by the flair & humour & fun in his designs. 

At Gay Cakes they make & decorate cakes for all occasions but specialise in the gay & lesbian section. Here's a few of his creations.

Of course we haven't legalised marriage for same sex couples in Australia yet, but many choose to have a commitment ceremony which is similar to a wedding.
                                          www.gaycakes.com.au

Portugal to be the sixth country in Europe to allow gay marriage

A.C.T. allows civil partnership ceremonies to same-sex couples

Commonwealth accepts gay ceremonies
The ACT Legislative Assembly passed a Greens bill earlier this month allowing same-sex couples to recognise their relationships with a legally binding ceremony.
The Commonwealth had indicated it was uncomfortable with the new legislation and asked the ACT to amend it. It blocked a similar bill last year when the Territory introduced its Civil Partnerships Act.
But the two governments have now reached a compromise that will allow gay couples to continue holding ceremonies in front of a civil partnership notary.
However they will also have to notify the registrar-general of their intention to hold a ceremony.
ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell says it is a big win for equality in the Territory and a step forward for gay rights in general.
"This locks in the role of ceremonies for same-sex couples," he said.
"We have legal ceremonies and we have legal ceremony celebrants and that is a very important reform.
"This now opens the door for other states and territories to follow the ACT's lead knowing the Commonwealth accepts ceremonies are now a legal part of the equation."
But Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury is more cautious.
"I'll be waiting to see the actual amendments. I haven't seen the detail," he said.
Mr Corbell says he will try and push the amended laws through the Legislative Assembly before the end of the year.
One Canberra gay couple has already taken advantage of the new laws.
Chris Rumble and Warren McGaw yesterday held Australia's first legally binding civil partnership ceremony in the Old Parliament House rose gardens.

from the Sydney Star Observer - same sex couples closer to legal recognition in Tasmania

News items on same sex marriage

Monday June 16, 03:45 AM
California economy boosted by gay marriage bonanza
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - California's economy is poised for a multi-million-dollar windfall as same-sex marriages get underway here Monday, with the tourist sector eyeing a bonanza as gays and lesbians flock to the state to tie the knot.
Analysts say that a mini-industry will sprout up as California prepares to become the only US state that will allow gays and lesbians from outside the region to get hitched on its soil. Massachusetts, the only other US state to allow same-sex marriage, forbids non-residents from exchanging vows there.
That fact leaves California free to monopolize the same-sex wedding market.
According to a University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) study published earlier this week, around 51,000 of the 102,000 same-sex couples living in California are expected to marry over the next three years.
A further 67,500 same-sex couples from other states that are likely to recognize their vows are expected to come to California during the same period to get married, the study found.
"Spending by resident same-sex couples on their weddings and by out-of-state couples ... will boost California's economy by over 683.6 million dollars in direct spending over the next three years," the UCLA study reported, adding that the new industry would create around 2,100 new jobs.
Jack Kyser, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, told AFP that same-sex marriages would lift the local tourist sector as fears of recession gripped the industry.
"There's going to be an economic impact, and this will be a welcome boost for the travel and tourism industry, which is a little bit concerned about the impact of the economy on traditional tourism," Kyser told AFP.
Kyser said the majority of gays also represented the most sought-after consumer demographic -- "DINKS" or "dual income no kids."
Even though some rural conservative areas of California "were not thrilled" by the same-sex marriage ruling, many districts such as Los Angeles and San Francisco are already marketing themselves as "gay-friendly" destinations.
"With all its sights and attractions -- and a heritage of tolerance -- gay-friendly Los Angeles will soon be the perfect gay and lesbian wedding destination," Los Angeles tourist office declared on its official website.
In West Hollywood, the gay hub of Los Angeles, businesses are preparing for the same-sex marriage windfall.
Zoe Caratas, Sales Director of the Ramada Plaza hotel in West Hollywood, told AFP that occupancy rates had soared since the California Supreme Court overturned the same-sex marriage ban on May 16.
"It has definitely increased the occupancy rate, especially for next week," Caratas said. "We are almost completely sold out on Tuesday (when marriage licenses will become available to couples), and the same goes for the remainder of the week. Normally, our occupancy is not as high during the week."
Caratas said the hotel was offering a special 599-dollar "Honeymoon Package" which includes two-nights accommodation, a complimentary bottle of champagne and free parking.


Saturday May 17, 2008
Ellen DeGeneres to wed after gay marriage ruling
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres plans to marry her long-time partner, actress Portia de Rossi, after a California court ruling allowing gay marriage.
"I am announcing I am getting married," DeGeneres, 50, told the audience during the taping of her "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday. The show was due to be broadcast on Friday.
To wild cheers and a standing ovation, DeGeneres said she was very excited at Thursday's ruling by the California Supreme Court overturning a state ban on gay marriage.
"Thank you. I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon," she joked.
DeGeneres did not mention de Rossi, 35, but pictures showed the former "Ally McBeal" actress in the audience, smiling and applauding.
"It is something of course that we have wanted to do and we wanted to be legal, and we are just very, very excited," DeGeneres said.
DeGeneres and de Rossi have been a familiar couple in Hollywood for about four years, appearing at red carpet events together. DeGeneres previously had a relationship with actress Anne Heche.
DeGeneres made broadcast history in 1997 when her TV alter ego came out of the closet on her ABC sitcom "Ellen," becoming the first openly gay lead character on U.S. prime-time network television.
A short time later, DeGeneres and Heche went public with their real real-life love affair, instantly becoming America's most prominent lesbian couple. They broke up three years later.