16 April 2015 - NPWJ News Digest on LGBTI Rights

Articles

Hillary Clinton evolves on gay marriage, just in time for presidential campaign
By The Guardian, 16 Apr 2015

Hillary Clinton evolved on same-sex marriage within the first 72 hours of her presidential run, as her campaign said Wednesday that the former secretary of state now backs marriage equality as a US constitutional right. The about-face, dropped as Clinton was preparing the second of two progressive-leaning appearances in Iowa, represents a significant – if not completely unexpected – shift from her previous statements that same-sex marriage should be legislated state-by-state rather than on the federal level. LGBT activists said the move, while potentially motivated by politics and conveniently timed to Clinton’s presidential run and a looming US supreme court case, represented something of a milestone.

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Ukip is the only main political party to not address LGBT rights in its manifesto
By The Independent, 16 Apr 2015

Charities representing lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) people have criticised UKIP for being the only one of the seven main political parties to not mention gay people in its manifesto. As politicians come under increasing pressure to tackle issues facing the LGBT community, Ukip’s track record has been marred by a string of embarrassing gaffes.

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New Strategy Against Gay Marriage Divides GOP 2016 Field
By Time Magazine, 13 Apr 2015

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa—The U.S. Supreme Court’s expected decision this spring that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry will for most mark the end of a decades-long culture war. But a small circle of Christian activists aren’t giving up yet — and they are already winning over some Republican presidential candidates to their last-ditch effort. Resting their hopes on an effort to redefine the role of the federal judiciary, the activists’ argument takes on a central tenet of modern American politics: that the Supreme Court has the final say on what is the law of the land

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Irish voters keep campaigners guessing as gay marriage referendum nears
By The Guardian, 13 Apr 2015

Shorn of a blond wig, outsized false eyelashes, garish eyeshadow, and high heels, the Irish drag artist Panti looked like the strain was starting to tell. It was not the jet lag from a speaking tour of the US that he had just completed, nor the slightly frantic attentions of his pet jack russell, who was playing with a ball close to the dance floor of PantiBar, a well-known gay pub-nightclub in Dublin. Panti’s anxiety stemmed from the vote this May on gay marriage in Ireland. Polls may put the yes campaign ahead. But this is Ireland, where the public can spring nasty surprises on the Dublin elite in referendums.

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Fresh battles over gay rights erupt in states as Supreme Court hearing nears
By The Washington Post, 13 Apr 2015

The Supreme Court’s historic hearing later this month about same-sex marriage is already sparking fresh battles over gay rights as opponents try to limit the impact of what they fear will be an unfavorable decision. Their realization that same-sex unions could soon become a national reality has set off a scramble to draw a firewall around those who have religious objections, such as Christian florists and bakers who do not want to provide services to gay couples.

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