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Australia high court overturns ACT gay marriage law

Australia high court overturns ACT gay marriage law – Australia’s High Court has overturned legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT parliament passed a bill in October making the territory the first part of Australia to legalise same-sex weddings.

The implementation timetable for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013

The implementation timetable for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was announced today – Culture Secretary Maria Miller said: “Marriage is one of our most important institutions, and from 29 March 2014 it will be open to everyone, irrespective of whether they fall in love with someone of the same sex or opposite sex.”

UK Disability History Month: 22nd November – 22nd December 2013

UK Disability History Month: 22nd November – 22nd December 2013. UK Disability History Month was set up to celebrate our lives and to explore the history of negative attitudes and their consequences. Despite the Olympics creating positive shifts in the media and public attitudes to disabled people, levels of hate crime continue to increase and disabled people are bearing the brunt of Government austerity measures. The long history of civil and human rights’ struggles by the Disabled People’s Movement has led to the majority of disabled people living independently in the community. Over the last 70 years, all long stay hospital and institutions, where disabled people were inhumanely ‘warehoused’, have rightly been closed. This is now in danger of being reversed. The UK’s international human rights obligations are increasingly not being met.

Scotland prepares for historic parliamentary vote on equal marriage

Scotland prepares for historic parliamentary vote on equal marriage – The Scottish Parliament will hold a crucial debate and vote on Scotland’s equal marriage legislation today. The Stage One vote on the country’s same-sex marriage bill is in many respects the most important vote because it will reveal for the first time whether a majority of MSPs supporting introducing equal marriage, or whether they will reject the bill.