Weekend gay news wrap-up: Saturday, October 4 2014

BEFORE we reflect on another week in LGBTI news, a quick note for our NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and ACT readers: daylight saving starts Sunday morning.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2am on the first Sunday in October, when clocks are put forward one hour. It ends at 2am (which is 3am Daylight Saving Time) on the first Sunday in April, when clocks are put back one hour.

Back to LGBTI news, we witnessed two steps backwards for marriage equality for Australia, but one giant leap forward for the Olympics as the IOC introduced a non-discrimination clause for all future host cities in light of the Sochi Winter Olympics controversy and Russia’s so-called ‘gay propaganda’ laws.

 

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The most read stories on the Star Observer website this week:

New syphilis campaign launched, aimed at HIV-positive gay men 

Facebook backtracks on “real name” policy

Ricky Martin’s perfect response to son’s conception question

Philadelphia to expand hate crimes to include gay and trans* attacks

UN Human Rights Council passes resolution condemning LGBT violence

Serbia hosts first gay pride march in four years

Christian pastor’s heartwarming promises for gay child goes viral

Meet India’s first trans* news anchor

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September 29 — Marriage equality setback

A SYDNEY lesbian couple who married under British law last week have said they are deeply disappointed at the conclusions of a Senate report that dashed hopes their marriage would be recognised in Australia.

Shirleene Robinson, an academic at Macquarie University, married her fiancé Sarah Midgley, a British citizen — at the UK’s consulate in Sydney last Friday, September 26 (pictured above).

The day before, the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee recommended that a bill introduced by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, which sought to recognise the marriages of Australian same-sex couples who had legally wed overseas, not be passed | Read more

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October 1 — Marriage equality bill put on hold

AUSTRALIAN Marriage Equality has urged supporters to phone federal MPs following reports that an important marriage equality bill has been temporarily shelved.

NSW Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm had plans to introduce his Freedom to Marry bill this week, but according to The Australian, Liberal and Labor MPs pleaded put it on hold because of “wrong’’ timing.

However, Leyonhjelm said he was still committed to introducing the bill “in a matter of weeks or months, not years”, but wanted to achieve it with as much bipartisan support as possible | Read more

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September 29 — Non-discrimination clause for future Olympic host cities

FUTURE Olympic host cities are now required to sign a contract to protect LGBT athletes, attendees and staffers from discrimination after the International Olympic Comittee recently introduced a new non-discrimination clause.

After the international backlash over Russia’s so-called “gay propaganda” laws that overshadowed the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, the IOC last week announced it would be adding the new anti-discrimination clause to its host city contract.
This means future host cities — beginning with the one chosen next year for the 2022 Winter Olympics — must sign a legal document saying they will follow Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which reads: “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.” | Read more

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