Same-sex marriages begin among legal chaos in Alabama
The first gay couples have married in Alabama, but same-sex marriage is not yet a reality across the state, because of the unexpected intervention of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. While a federal judge, backed by the US Supreme Court, said marriages had to begin Feb 9, Moore jumped in at the last moment and ordered local judges not to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples. Judges across the state are now confused about who to listen to, with some giving out licences, some refusing and some writing licences but refusing to issue them yet.
Sam Smith cleans up at Grammys
Gay British singer Sam Smith took three of the top four awards at the Grammys Feb 8, including best song for his melancholy one-night-stand ballad “Stay with Me.” “I want to thank the man who this record is about,” Smith said as he accepted. “Thank you so much for breaking my heart, ’cause you got me four Grammys.”
Read more at The New York Times.
Slovakia anti-gay referendum fails because of low turnout
A referendum on whether to cement heterosexual marriage into Slovakia’s constitution has failed because of low voter turnout. Only 21 percent of eligible voters showed up, short of the 50 percent needed for a constitutional amendment. Gay rights activists had encouraged voters to stay home in order to invalidate the referendum.
Researchers: Imbalanced marriages have more children
According to researchers in Prague, marriages in which one partner is more dominant produce more children than those in which both partners are equal. The authors of the study say that the difference is because of improved cooperation in unequal partnerships.
Celebrities pull out of party at anti-gay sultan’s hotel
Singer John Legend, his wife and other celebrities have pulled out of performances at a party hosted at a hotel owned by the Sultan of Brunei, who last year enacted severe anti-gay laws. The sultan owns 10 luxury hotels around the world, including the Beverly Hills Hotel. Under the new laws, gay people who attempt to marry could be stoned to death. “These policies are heinous and certainly don’t represent John’s values or the spirit of the event,” a spokesman for Legend told CBS.
Azealia Banks’s gay-men problem
Rapper Azealia Banks seems to have a problem with gay men. In a number of recent Twitter exchanges, Banks has called Perez Hilton a “messy faggot,” defended the use of the word by claiming that all gay culture was invented by women, and mocked gay Vice writer Mitchell Sunderland for not having a “second hole.” In the latter exchange, she even sort of admitted to her prejudices, writing “and even if i am a homophobe . . . so wat? i still make more $ than you.”
Image credit: Twitter/leeroop
Why you can trust Xtra
