The Respect for Marriage Act provides exemptions for religious groups, excludes people with disabilities – and could still lead to state-level discrimination laws.
People gather to celebrate LGBTQ pride week in Washington, D.C. in June 2021.
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The U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill that protect same-sex marriage by a wide margin– thanks to support from 12 Republicans. Same-sex marriage isn’t the partisan issue it once was.
Despite the ABS itself saying that collecting data on LGBTIQ+ communities is of ‘national importance’, these questions have been left off the census again — for no good reason.
Those on the Christian right in Australia once wielded considerable clout, but they are no longer in a position to bring the majority of Australians in line with their views.
Since there’s no romantic relationship, judges are likely to default to ruling that platonic marriages are an attempt to game the system.
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Because any two consenting adults can get married in the US, a platonic marriage could pretty easily be pulled off. Legally speaking, though, it’s a sham.
A rally at the Alabama Statehouse on March 30, 2021, to draw attention to and protest anti-transgender legislation introduced in Alabama.
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A civil rights scholar looks at the large number of anti-transgender policies being debated and passed in state capitols. They are a staple issue for conservatives who want to rally their base.
Having historically positioned itself as ‘non-partisan’, the ACL’s recent campaigns reflect a return to its US roots, and perhaps hopes of achieving a similar polarising cultural shift in Australia.
Delaware’s Sarah McBride made history on Tuesday when she won a state Senate seat, becoming the US’s highest-ranking transgender politician. A record 1,006 LGBTQ candidates ran for office this year.
Young people at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, cheer Pope Francis in 2015, following his comments endorsing same-sex civil unions.
AP Photo/Aaron Favila
The Vatican has clarified that Pope Francis’ support of civil unions did not change church doctrine. A theologian explains what Francis is doing is departing from Catholic rhetoric on the family.
A lot of interests want to influence the cases that come before the Supreme Court and how they’re decided.
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Special interests use the court as a public policy battleground. Here’s a rundown of how that works and which groups are likely to appear before a conservative court with Amy Coney Barrett on it.
Married – but perhaps not reaping all the benefits.
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The government is spruiking its commitment to religious freedom and freedom of speech, as well as its successes on tackling inequality. Its record, however, leaves much to be desired.
Just as gaining the right to vote did not end the women’s rights movement, so, too, will marriage equality not end the LGBTI+ rights movement.
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Marriage equality was an important step for LGBTI+ rights in Australia, but there are many other areas in which LGBTI+ people in Australia still face discrimination.
Research has found that the marriage equality debate had a significant impact on the mental health of some same-sex-attracted Australians.
AAP/Danny Casey
The findings confirm that debate on issues related to minority groups’ lives and well-being can significantly affect their mental health.
Scott Morrison has promised to protect people against discrimination because of their religious faith, and says he wants to do it before the election.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison plans to create a new post of Freedom of Religion Commissioner, because he says many people of religion “feel the wheels closing in”.
Same-sex marriage has been legal for a year in Australia, but more progress can still be made on gender inequality in marriages and cohabiting relationships.
Jono Searle/AAP
Marriage equality was a major step forward for Australia. But women in both marriages and cohabiting relationships continue to deal with inequality and gender-prescribed roles.
The results of the SSM vote brought great jubilation on November 15, 2017- but the fight is not yet over.
AAP/Luis Enrique Ascui
The marriage equality debate brought the rights of LGBT Australians to the fore - now we need to turn our attention to the ways they are still discriminated against.