(CNN) — Rhode Island is moving toward becoming the 10th state in the nation and the last in New England to approve same-sex marriage, with a vote scheduled Wednesday in the full Senate. “It’s the first item on the calendar” for the legislative body, which was to convene at 4 p.m., Senate Press Secretary Greg…
HOUSTON – As the immigration debate in the U.S. Senate heats up, findings from the 32nd annual Kinder Institute Houston Area Survey show that support for immigration reform has grown significantly among Houstonians. Other findings in this year’s survey: Area residents overwhelmingly support expanding criminal background checks for gun sales, support for gay rights has…
(CNN) — French lawmakers voted to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday, despite vocal protests from some conservatives opposed to the step. The nation’s lower house approved a marriage bill, which will also give same-sex couples the right to adopt, in a 331-to-225 final vote. They cast their votes after impassioned speeches by lawmakers for and against…
In a historic turn, Nevada became the first legislative body in the United States to vote to repeal a ban on same-sex marriage Monday night. The Nevada senate voted 12-9 to overturn a constitutional ban that was enacted in 2002 that permitted only opposite-sex couples to enter into marriage. The new language would permit Nevada…
(CNN) — The approval rating for the first Republican senator to back same-sex marriage has edged down, fueled mostly by a drop in support from members of his own party, according to a new survey. An adviser to Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, responding to the poll, says the senator’s change of heart on the…
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) — The competitive spirit between Australia and New Zealand rarely dims, but New Zealand has sprinted ahead of its trans-Tasman rival to become the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. The move has left Australia’s gay community feeling behind in terms of gay rights. The New Zealand…
New Zealand became the 13th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage today after their parliament approved an amendment to their 1955 marriage laws 77-44. The country is the first in the Asia-Pacific region to allow gays and lesbians to marry. Same-sex marriage supporters, Members of Parliament (MPs) and observers in parliament broke into…
VIETNAM — In what some are arguably calling the latest (and most controversial) salvo in the same-sex marriage debate, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien will deliver a speech today in Hanoi that calls for the immediate repeal on the ban on same-sex marriage. “[A]s human beings, homosexuals have the same rights as everyone else…
(CNN) — The French Senate approved a controversial bill Friday that would give same-sex couples the rights to marry and adopt. The lower house has already approved the legislation. The bill, to which 10 amendments were made in the Senate, must still go through a second reading in the National Assembly and a final reading…
(CNN) — Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, on Monday joined the wave of senators from his party who are endorsing same-sex marriage for the first time. The third-term senator, who’s not seeking re-election next year, said in a statement his “views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation.” “This position doesn’t require any religious…
