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At Last Civil Unions
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QUEENSLAND MPs have voted in favour of legalising same-sex civil unions during an historic night in Parliament Wednsday 30 November 2011- couriermail.com.au 1.12.2011

After almost four hours of debate Andrew Fraser's private member's bill was passed by a vote of 47 to 40.
The bill, introduced by Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser, enables same-sex couples to register their union with the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The bill will grant same-sex couples the right to enter in to legally recognised civil unions. At least one of the parties to the civil partnership must live in Queensland.
The debate has prompted a strong reaction from gay rights, religious and family groups.
Labor MPs were allowed a conscience vote, but all Liberal National Party voted against the bill.
"This bill merely but not meekly seeks to formally recognise relationships which have existed in Queensland for centuries,'' he told Parliament.
"It provides them with the opportunity to celebrate their commitment and their love for one another in a ceremony in front of friends and family, perhaps this is its most important feature.''
Premier Anna Bligh said the bill may not be a priority for all of Queensland but it was a priority for those that live with discrimination every single day of their lives.
"The fight against discrimination should be a priority of any government,'' she told Parliament.
"This bill is fundamentally about the human rights of Queensland's citizens, but it is much more than that, it is about the joyful business of love and that is why it has touched the hearts of so many Australians, why so many people believe that Australia should be dealing with this issue.''
Earlier, a crowd of gay rights activists gathered outside Parliament in a last ditch bid to urge MPs to support the bill.
One of the activists, Alex Myman, said her message was simple.
"We want equal rights," she said. "We're human beings as well."
Premier Anna Bligh addressed the crowd and said she looked forward to a "majority of voices" supporting the bill in Parliament.
She dismissed claims from her political opponents that the main issue was one of "process".
"This is not about process, this is about human beings," she said. "It's about Queenslanders and it's about their human rights."
The crowd dispersed ahead of the start of debate.
The bill follows the same reforms in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria

Gay marriage

For the past few weeks the debate on civil unions has dominated Queensland politics.The vote comes just days before Labor's national conference debates whether to go a step further and legalise gay marriage. Before the debate, Ms Bligh addressed a gay rights rally outside Parliament House, where she reiterated her support for gay marriage. "I look forward to seeing a majority of voices recorded in favour of this bill when it comes to the vote this evening," she said. "After that before too long I look forward to seeing the first same-sex marriage in Queensland."Earlier, Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser, who put forward the private member's bill, said it was important to recognise the difference between civil unions and gay marriage. "Legally and constitutionally this is an entirely different matter to marriage, and that's an important part of the debate that's being conducted here in Queensland," he said. "Obviously many people who are supporting this bill also have aspirations around changing the Marriage Act; that's a matter for the Federal Government. "What we're doing here in Queensland is going as far as we can as a state to provide for a quality of recognition of relationships in order to access the sort of rights that many people take for granted."
ABC News 1.12.2011

Gay Marriage Approved by New York Senate

ALBANY USA — Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born.
Proponents of same-sex marriage have long argued that the institution of marriage is a unique expression of love and commitment and that calling the unions of same-sex couples anything else is a form of second-class citizenship; they also point out that many legal rights are tied to marriage. Those opposed to same-sex marriage agree that marriage is a fundamental bond with ancient roots. But they draw the opposite conclusion, saying that allowing same-sex couples to marry would undermine the institution of marriage itself.
In March 2010, Washington, D.C. became the sixth place in the nation where same-sex marriages can take place. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In other states the issue moved one way and then another. A California court in 2008 ruled that a law barring same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. In a referendum that November, a ballot measure known as Proposition 8 was passed that restored the ban. Proposition 8 withstood a challenge in the state Supreme Court, which upheld the ban while allowing the marriages performed before it took effect to stand. But in August 2010, a federal judge found it unconstitutional, in a ruling that both sides say will end up before the Supreme Court. The ban ceased to have effect on August 18.

Gay Couples in Queensland have a small win with the ALP state conference endorsing a motion for same-sex marriage to be made legal.

Equal Love

Equal Love are pleased to announce that EQUAL LOVE won an award in the category of "the Most Outstanding Community Campaign or Initiative" (Awarded to acknowledge the most significant community campaign, initiative or action by a community group or organisation)

Brisbane Rally
Invite your friends to the rally through the Equal Love Brisbane Facebook page - Organising meetings
Next Brisbane Marriage Equality Rally and March - Saturday 13 August 2011, 1pm Queens Park (behind casino).

Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage after the Senate voted in favour.

Argentine Senate backs bill legalising gay marriage

Let me introduce myself, I am Marilyn Verschuure a dedicated, professionally trained Civil Marriage Celebrant with a caring and highly professional service to offer. I perform ceremonies with enthusiasm, energy, humour, warmth and love!

As a Full Time Marriage Celebrant I dedicate myself to you and your ceremony and commit to making it everything you ever dreamt about and desired! If you don't know what you want I can guide you and lead you through the development of the ceremony step by step and offer you endless ideas and resources to choose from.

Same Sex Commitments - My aim as a celebrant for gay and lesbian couples is to assist you to create a unique, personal and magical ceremony to express your love and commitment to each other.

As your celebrant, I consult with you to create a ceremony that mirrors your beliefs, values, ideals, personalities and interests. I capture you as individuals and as a couple. I listen to your vision for your perfect day. I create a ceremony that feels natural and meaningful for you both and reflects the life you choose to live together forever.

Countries Around the World Recognising Same-Sex Marriage

The mayor of Amsterdam married five American-Dutch gay couples on Saturday in an implicit criticism of the lack of same-sex marriage in many U.S. states.

Legions of people applauded as Mayor Job Cohen performed the ceremony on a cruise around the Amsterdam's canals to celebrate the high point of the city's gay pride festival. 8 years ago Job performed the first legal Dutch gay marriage.

Call Marilyn Rainbow Pride Celebrant on
0413 344 134 for information and to see if I have availability on your special day. I offer free an obligation-free meeting at my home or by Skype or Phone to discuss your vision for your perfect day. You can also email me or use the Contact Me page.