UK Queer Christians Support Marriage Equality Campaign.

The UK Civil Partnership legislation was widely described at the time of launch as being virtually equivalent to marriage, with almost equal treatment in the law: marriage in everything but the name - and a prohibition of any religious content or symbolism in the registry office proceedings.

Time has shown though, that words do matter. We have been promised some tinkering with the legislation to bring it ever closer to full marriage, but until we achieve full marriage equality, separate will never be equal. Political pressure is growing steadily. Now, the country's leading LGBT Christian group, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, has given its support to a newly launched campaign for full marriage rights, the "Equal Love" campaign.

From the "Pink Paper", (October 26th):

Gay Christian Movement support Equal Love campaign

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has voiced its support for Outrage's Equal Love marriage campaign.

Australians Support Marriage Equality, Opposition Waning.

In common with other countries, support for legal recognition of same sex marriage in Australia is increasing. Support is now at 62%, up from 60% a year ago. The only age group which does not yet show majority support is the over 50's - but only just. Even this group has support at 46%. The youngest group of Australian adults polled are overwhelmingly in favour: 80% agree with the prospect. Politically, only the misnamed "Liberal" party are against, while 75% of Labour voters are in favour. Why Labour PM Julia Gillard continues with her resolute opposition is entirely beyond me: the indications are that this issue has already cost her votes in the last election, resulting in increased seats for the Greens and Independents. As the independent MP Andrew Wilkie has stated, she is clearly out of step with her own voters.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Findings from a new poll of 1050 respondents came as the independent MP Andrew Wilkie called on the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, to move on the issue, saying she was ''out of step with the people''.

Mr Wilkie said the Prime Minister should allow a conscience vote, saying it was "beyond time for the Parliament to start representing the people".

The Galaxy poll showed support for same-sex marriage increased from 60 per cent of respondents in 2009 to 62 per cent this year.

The survey, which was conducted over two days earlier this month, showed uniform support for a conscience vote across party lines with 80 per cent of Labor and 75 per cent of Liberal voters agreeing to the idea.

While supporting a conscience vote, Liberal voters were much less likely to agree to allow same-sex couples to marry, with less than half supporting the change. Nearly three-quarters of Labor voters and four out of five Greens voters support same-sex marriage.

The survey also shows that younger Australians are more likely (80 per cent) to support same-sex marriage than those aged over 50 years (46 per cent).

Related articles

• Push for same-sex marriage conscience vote (news.theage.com.au)
• Labor plays for 'pink vote' (theage.com.au)
• Moore urges free vote on gay marriage (news.theage.com.au)
• As Australia's Greens Submit Marriage Equality Bill, PM Julia Gillard Won't Let Anybody From the Labor Party Support it (queerty.com)
• Legalised gay marriage is inevitable, says Labor's Left (theage.com.au)
• Chart of the Day: Religion and Gay Marriage (queeringthechurch.wordpress.com)
• Gay Marriage: Coming (Soon?) to a Church Near You. (queering-the-church.com)
• Three Same-Sex Marriages Staged In Australia (towleroad.com)

Historic Mormon Apology on Prop 8!

As the Minnesota bishops prepare for their determined campaign to prevent marriage equality in their state, they would do well to reflect on the experience of the Mormons in California over Prop 8. As is well known, the Mormons, like the institutional Catholic Church, were among the mainstay of the opposition to equality, donating substantial sums in cash and in kind to funding support for the ballot initiative.

Since the vote, there have been numerous indications that the Mormon leaders have begun to recognize the hurt their actions have caused to their own members. (I would be surprised if the Mormons were to make the same mistake again). In the clearest demonstration yet of this change of heart, a senior member of the Church  has apologised to lesbian and gay Mormons of California. In a move that Joanna Brooks at Religion Dispatches correctly describes as historic, the leader of the church in California invited Elder Marlin K Jensen to a meeting to hear the stories of pain and suffering the Church had caused to gay and lesbian Mormons, not just by the support for Prop 8, but by its entire approach to homosexuals and their place in the Church. At the conclusion of this testimony  - Elder Jensen apologized.