PWD Roundup: Gillard Now Says Yes, Italy Struggles with Same-Sex Laws, and Uganda Could Make Adopting Orphans Harder
Former Prime Minister Has Change of Heart on Gay
Marriage (Better Late Than Never?)
Australia’s former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard,
has said that she would now support same-sex marriage despite opposing it
during her tenure as PM. Australia’s current Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is against gay marriage and, like a true politician, won’t consider other opinions on the matter until after the 2016 election. It’s a shame that Julia Gillard couldn’t
have had this change of heart when she had the power to do something about it.
Helpfully, the BBC point out that 60 to 72% of Australians would be in favour of same-sex marriage.
Italy Struggles to Pass Gay Right’s Laws
There’s an interesting post in the FT today about
how Italy is struggling to pass gay right’s laws including, obviously, one for same-sex
marriage. Part of the problem in Italy appears to be its strong ties to
Catholicism and what the FT calls “centre-right inertia”. Italy does not
currently have a civil partnership law, either, making it the only country in
Western Europe not to allow same-sex civil unions. In the article the FT talk to
Fabio and Franco who’ve started planning their wedding but will probably have
to marry aboard.
Uganda Could Make Adoption Harder
The Ugandan Minister for State Affairs has proposed
that citizens from countries where gay marriage is legal should not be allowed
to adopt children in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania or in Uganda.
The idea that children
could miss out on loving, caring family homes because of this anarchic
standpoint seems lost on the Ugandan Minister, but, as Pink News points out,
Uganda wouldn’t be the first country to introduce such measures. Russia does
not allow same-sex couples to adopt their children, either