Australia rejects equal marriage plebiscite
Australian parliament has voted down a public vote on same-sex marriage in the country. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had proposed the plebiscite as a compromise between conservatives in his own ruling coalition who do not want a vote in parliament and progressives who, like most Australians, want equal marriage. A majority in parliament, however, rejected the vote as expensive, unnecessary, and a potential platform for homophobia.
Read more at the New York Times.
UN could fire watchdog on LGBT rights
The newly appointed United Nations independent expert on LGBT rights could lose his job before he even starts work. A group of states led by Sierra Leone has put forward a motion in the UN General Assembly to cancel the position, which was created by the UN Human Rights Council, in a bid to quash discussion of LGBT issues.
Hong Kong lags on basic gay rights protections
The South China Morning Post reports that while the majority of Hong Kong citizens support basic family rights for gay couples, such as participating in medical decisions or collecting a deceased partner’s ashes, the city’s government continues to stall.
TV representation good for LGBT folk, bad for lesbians
GLAAD’s annual report on LGBT representation on television shows that LGBT characters are thriving, but lesbians are lagging behind. Nearly five percent of characters are not LGBT, but only one sixth of those were lesbians, and that’s not to mention “dead lesbian syndrome.”
North Carolina lawmaker comes out as bisexual
In a state where the government has spent a year attacking LGBT rights, a state representative has been inspired to come out as bisexual. State Representative Cecil Brockman says he decided to come out after being confronted with homophobic abuse for opposing anti-gay legislation.
Read more at the Greensboro News and Record.
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