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Gay News From Balkan

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haiducii

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Constitutional judges gave green light for referendum on marriage

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Ljubljana, SLO (22-Oct-15): The Constitutional Court allowed a referendum on the amendment of law on marriage and family relations, equalizing the rights of the same-sex couples with the rights of the opposite-sex couples.The Constitutional Court adopted its decision about the admissibility of a referendum with five votes against four.


It's About Children! Coalition reacted to the decision of the Constitutional Court. Metka Zevnik expressed her satisfaction that "the Constitutional Court decided in favour of the people, and not in favour of the elite". In her opinion the National Assembly had aggressively interrupted the collection of signatures, thus depriving people of the right to express themselves, while the Constitutional Court has given them their voice back.

According to her they will continue collecting signatures, and are getting ready for a campaign by which they intend to reach as many people as possible. She is not discounting cooperation of the Roman Catholic Church, as "RCC are people, and people are believers, and the number of believers in this country is substantial". It is their intention to win at the referendum: "We know the way, and have the will and the courage."

Amnesty International reacted to the decision of the Constitutional Court, regretting that the equalisation of same-sex couples with opposite-sex couples has been postponed. "The denial of equal civil recognition of same-sex relationships prevents a large number of people from availing themselves of a number of other rights. At the same time it is stigmatizing same-sex relationships in a way which might encourage discrimination, and other abuse of human rights of people based on their sexual orientation, or sexual identity," they explained.
 

W!nston

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Slovenia takes a giant step backwards.

Good old Christian Values. The RCC is the antithesis of the written teachings of Christ as spelled out in the New Testament. Hypocrites.
 

gorgik9

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Bad news from Slovenia...

But please don't get yourselves in such defaitist mood...

What's happened? The Constitutional Court handed down a very split decision - 5-4 - to allow a popular referendum on marriage equality, which means 4 justices were against.

I say bring it on to the people of Slovenia!!! The religious nutbags will find an endless number of explanations to why marriage equality is a bad thing, and it'll always be about how bad it is for the kids (says the catholic celibataires!!!!), but with a popular victoria FOR marriage equality, the argument that the voice of the people have been silenced doesn't work anymore.

It's not very many years ago since the idea of marriage equality in Ireland would have been a really bad joke. Today it's reality, and it's reality because of the popular vote!

It's not very many years since a black man in the Oval Office, Washington DC, USA, would have been laughable. It's not a silly joke anymore.

So as Bob Dylan once said: The times are a-changing!
 

gb2000ie

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I don't know Slovenia well enough to know if this is realistic - but remember that in Ireland gay marriage was put to referendum, and we PASSED it. While the run-up to the vote was utterly nerve-wracking, once the vote was over, the fact that it was a referendum made the YES much much stronger and harder to argue against. It made the religious nut jobs furious that they could no longer pretend to represent a 'silent majority'.

Also - the tactic the right used in Ireland to try block marriage was basically a Ned Flanders "will someone think of the children", and it back-fired, because if you REALLY think about the children, then you have for vote FOR equality. Kids in gay families exist. Voting against marriage will not make them go away, but voting for marriage will make their lives more stable and secure.

I may be wishing for a miracle, but I really hope Slovenia becomes the second nation on earth to approve marriage equality in a referendum.

B.
 

haiducii

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I may be wishing for a miracle, but I really hope Slovenia becomes the second nation on earth to approve marriage equality in a referendum.

From your lips to God's ears. :)
 

haiducii

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Voters can express support for referendum on gay marriage

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Ljubljana, SLO (27-Oct-15): The collection of voter signatures in support of a referendum on the marriage equality law resumes on Tuesday, a week after a parliamentary ban on the referendum was overturned by Slovenia's top court.

The procedure to collect the 40,000 voter signatures is thought to be a mere formality since the group initiating the referendum has said it already has the sufficient support for a popular vote.

However, by law the Children are at Stake will be given until 26 November to collect the requisite signatures. This way it will get the full 35-day period at its disposal, given that parliament banned the referendum only four days into its bid for the vote.

Once the period passes and the group submits the signatures, parliament will call the referendum, which will likely be held at the end of the year.

''Should more than 20 percent of the electorate take part in the referendum, and a majority of them vote against the law, it will eventually be scrapped'', AFP reports.

The referendum ban was overturned last week by the Constitutional Court on the grounds that the National Assembly was not qualified to rule that the vote dealt with a law rectifying a human rights violation.

The highest court in the land said that only it was able to rule on whether a law rectified a violation of human rights to fit the definition of a constitutional provision banning referenda on human rights.

The law equalising gay marriage to that of a union between a man and woman was passed by the National Assembly in March after years of debate on how to provide for marriage equality in the country.

It was proposed by the opposition United Left (ZL) and got the support of the ruling coalition.
 

haiducii

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Gay marriage referendum date set for 20 December



Ljubljana, SLO (4-Nov-15): The Slovenian National Assembly has decided that the referendum on same-sex “marriage” will be held on 20 December.

The group called “Za otroke gre (Think of the children)” has gathered 40,000 signatures needed to call a popular vote on the controversial bill passed earlier this year in which marriage is defined as “a union between two consenting adults”. The National Assembly’s brazen attempt to ignore the bid was overruled and declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court last month.

In order to scrap the bill, it is necessary that more than 20% of the electorate participate in the vote, and that a majority of those participating vote against it.

In 2012, when in a similar situation a referendum was held on a new Family Code that would have allowed same-sex adoption, the voter turnout was 30.3%, of which 54.5% voted against and 45.5 in favour of the controversial bill.
 

bigsal

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Gay marriage referendum date set for 20 December



Ljubljana, SLO (4-Nov-15): The Slovenian National Assembly has decided that the referendum on same-sex “marriage” will be held on 20 December.

The group called “Za otroke gre (Think of the children)” has gathered 40,000 signatures needed to call a popular vote on the controversial bill passed earlier this year in which marriage is defined as “a union between two consenting adults”. The National Assembly’s brazen attempt to ignore the bid was overruled and declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court last month.

In order to scrap the bill, it is necessary that more than 20% of the electorate participate in the vote, and that a majority of those participating vote against it.

In 2012, when in a similar situation a referendum was held on a new Family Code that would have allowed same-sex adoption, the voter turnout was 30.3%, of which 54.5% voted against and 45.5 in favour of the controversial bill.

It would be enough that the Slovenes media speak last "cyclone" that has invested the church with the scandal Vatileaks 2, after the release of the books of Italian journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi.

I am sure that the good sense of most of the Slovenes, think twice before siding with the church's position.
 

W!nston

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If the vote goes against Gay Marriage equality what options will be left? The National Assembly again? The Courts again? Another referendum?
 

gorgik9

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20 December - what a shitty Christmas present....
 

haiducii

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20 December - what a shitty Christmas present....

Agree...really sad that Slovenian society is not mature enough to understand that one cannot decide on human rights in a referendum.

If the vote goes against Gay Marriage equality what options will be left?

Nothing...waiting on another left-wing party, which will try to legalise gay marriage and adoption (again).

A total of 1,715,518 voters are registered to vote in Slovenia, which means that opponents of gay marriage will have to secure at least 343,000 votes in order to reject a gay marriage amendment.
 

W!nston

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I agree haiducii. Giving the majority the power to deny a minority's basic human rights is wrong.
 

haiducii

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Cyprus approves same-sex unions

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The Cypriot parliament voted in favour of the Civil Partnership Bill on November 26th – the first time that the country has voted in favour of recognising same-sex marriage.

A large majority were in favour of the law – which proponents say offers much of the same benefits of marriage – with 39 MPs voting in favour and 12 against, with three abstentions.

However, some critics say the law does not go far enough, as it does not provide adoption rights to same-sex couples and is not as far-reaching as marriage.

European LGBT association ILGA-Europe said: ''We very pleased that the bill has finally been approved. We congratulate all the civil society groups, political leaders and allies involved in this lengthy campaign for their persistence and dedication to equality.''

Civil partnerships were first proposed in Cyprus in 2013, and the current bill marks the culmination of a two-year debate in the country.

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gb2000ie

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Civil partnerships are a nice step forward, and they have real value, but they are not true equality - they are not even 'separate but equal'.

In Ireland our first step was civil partnerships, and then we approved marriage by referendum last May. I have a civil partnership, and it has made a very real difference in my life. From the point of view of the tax man, myself and my partner are married, and from the point of view of hospitals and doctors, I am his next of kin, and he is mine. Sadly my beloved has a chronic illness, so he can't work, so being able to pay tax as a couple has made a differnce of about €400 per month to our lives - well worth the effort of registering our civil partnership! Also, because he is ill, my beloved has spent a lot more time in hospital than either of us would like, so the fact that I am legally recognised as his partner has been very important in that setting too.

This stuff really matters, so it's good to see that Cypriot gays can now get these rights too.

B.
 

haiducii

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Slovenia: A chance for equality

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On Sunday 20 December Slovenia will hold a referendum on same-sex marriage. Legalisation of same-sex marriage was approved by the country's parliament in 2015, but it might yet be over-turned depending on the results of the upcoming referendum.

If the law is implemented Slovenia will become the first country in post-communist Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry.

The Prime Minister of Slovenia Miro Cerar has expressed his support for the yes option in the same-sex marriage referendum, having himself and his party Stranka modernega centra (SMC) called for the poll.

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haiducii

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Slovenians vote on marriage equality

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Ljubljana (SLO), 20 December - Over 1.7 million Slovenian voters head to over 3.150 polling
stations today to decide whether to legalise same-sex marriage.

Provisional results will be known on Monday morning. Keep your fingers crossed! ;)
 

W!nston

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Associated Press reports:

Preliminary results: Slovenians reject same-sex marriage law

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenians rejected same-sex marriage by a large margin in a referendum on Sunday, according to near-complete results, in a victory for the conservatives backed by the Catholic Church in the ex-communist EU nation.

The results released by authorities show 63.5 percent voted against a bill that defines marriage as a union of two adults, while 36.5 percent were in favor.

Slovenia's left-leaning Parliament introduced marriage equality in March, but opponents pushed through a popular vote on the issue. The "Children Are At Stake" group has collected 40,000 signatures to challenge the changes before any gay couples were able to marry.

"This result presents a victory for our children," said Ales Primc, the group's leader.

Ljudmila Novak, from New Slovenia, described the outcome as a "clear defeat" of the leftist government, which backed the changes.

Supporters of same-sex marriage have called for Slovenia to join Western European nations that have allowed more gay rights. Conservatives and the right-wing opposition have campaigned on traditional family values, arguing that marriage equality paves the way for gay and lesbian couples to adopt children.

Although Slovenia is considered to be among the most liberal of the ex-communist nations, gay rights remain a contentious topic in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation of 2 million.

Voters in the former Yugoslav republic rejected granting more rights to gay couples in a referendum in 2012.

Violeta Tomic, a lawmaker from the United Left party which initially put forward the bill, said referendum results presented a temporary setback only.

"It's not over yet. Sooner or later the law will be accepted," she said.

The Slovenia vote illustrates a cultural split within the European Union in which more established western members are rapidly granting new rights to gays, while eastern newcomers entrench conservative attitudes toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Igor Zagar, a 55-year-old professor from the capital, Ljubljana, said he voted in favor of marriage equality to "support the secular state and against the interference of the church into political issues."

Gregor Jerovsek, a 40-year-old mechanic from Ljubljana, said he believed that "the family should not be a field for experimentation."

"A traditional family should remain the key value of our society," he said.

SOURCE

:(


The civil rights of any group should never be put to a popular vote IMHO. But sometimes it works out and other times not.
 
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bigsal

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The Catholic Church has struck again. Give thanks for this pope francis, that of change.
 

gb2000ie

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The civil rights of any group should never be put to a popular vote IMHO.

Absolutely right!

The whole point of a right is that everyone is entitled to it, even those who find themselves in a minority.

Imagine if people from an un-popular minority religion had to ask permission to marry from the majority - that would be totally nuts right?! So, how is gay marriage different? It's not!

B.
 
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