The world’s largest online social network also gives its users the option to list themselves as single, married, in an open relationship or “it’s complicated,” among others.

The option for civil unions or domestic partnerships is only available to Facebook users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France and Australia, said the nonprofit Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which has been among the groups working with Facebook to add the options.

Facebook said it is rolling out the feature in countries where users asked for it.

“We will monitor user reaction and requests, and assess how to move forward with the rollout based on how this is going, and respond,” said Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes in an e-mail statement.

Facebook has well over 500 million users. About 70 percent of them live outside of the U.S.

The party won the motion by 73 votes to 72. It was deadlocked at 72-72 and Speaker Harry Jenkins was forced to use his casting vote.

A poll carried out for gay rights groups last month showed that 62 per cent of the 1,005 people surveyed supported allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, up from 60 per cent last year.

The Greens are a coalition partner in prime minister Julia Gillard’s minority government. Ms Gillard and her Labor party oppose gay marriage but a number of Labor MPs broke ranks to vote in favour of the motion.

Labor will debate its policy on gay marriage at its conference in 2011. Ms Gillard said recently that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

She told ABC: “I do believe that in our society, with our heritage, with our traditions, with our history, that marriage has a special place and special definition, so I’ve been very clear about that.”

Greens MP Adam Bandt, who introduced the motion, told reporters today: “The Australian parliament has just taken an important step to recognising that love is equal. It’s the first time the House of Representatives has recognised marriage equality.”

An amendment to the Marriage Act in favour of gay marriages has also been introduced by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Australian expat Portia DeGeneres, who married Ellen DeGeneres two years ago in California, has criticised Ms Gillard for her stance.

“I always thought Australia would pass this equal rights law long before America would,” she told ABC radio this morning. She added that she was “a little bit disappointed in the new prime minister. But I am hoping Australia will be a leader in this.”

Tasmania, Australia

Lawmakers in the Australian state of Tasmania have approved a bill that recognizes the marriages and civil unions of gay and lesbian couples formed outside its borders.

The state’s Legislative Council approved the amendment to the Relationships Act with little opposition, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

While gay couples cannot legally marry anywhere in Australia, the move makes Tasmania, a grouping of islands located about 150 miles south of the Australian mainland, the first state to recognize the marriages of gay couples celebrated outside its borders. Elsewhere in the country, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recognizes the unions of gay couples with civil partnerships.

Members of the House of Assembly overwhelmingly approved the bill last month.

“This is really a small step, but a significant and important step for those people who have registered or been through a civil union process elsewhere around the world and want us to recognize that relationship as indeed being in existence,” Tasmanian Attorney General Lara Giddings told ABC News earlier this month.

A bill that would have legalized gay marriage in Australia died in the Senate last year.

Sydney resident norrie mAy-Welby was reportedly issued a ‘Sex Not Specified’ Recognised Details Certificate by the New South Wales government following a campaign by the group Sex and Gender Education (SAGE).

Spokesperson for SAGE, Tracie O’Keefe, told The Scavenger the decision was an important one for sex and gender diverse Australians.

“This decision now has fundamental ramifications for neuter and intersex identified individuals in that they no longer have to be forced to live as male or female,” said O’Keefe.

“Furthermore it is an enormous legal breakthrough for the rights of intersex children whose doctors and parents are confused about their sex at births and that they could be registered as ‘Sex Not Specified’ until they decide what sex would be right for them.

“Many intersex children have been forced into male and female identities, when not medically necessary, which they later felt were incorrect, including unnecessary brutal surgery to give them stereotypical looking genitalia, often leaving them without sensation or function.”

The decision by the NSW Births Deaths and Marriages in mAy-Welby’s case is said to be because doctors were unable to determine a gender and that mAy-Welby was psychologically and medically neither male nor female.

Original Text:

www.samesame.com.au

Mr Gay South Africa, Charl van der Berg

Mr Gay South Africa, restaurant owner Charl Van den Berg from Cape Town, beat 30 international contestants to take out has the top Worldwide Mr Gay title. Coming in second was an excited 25 year old Mr Gay Australia Byron Adu, followed by Mr Gay Hong Kong, 33 year old Rick Dean Twombley.

Mr Gay Australia, Byron Adu

Take a look at the contestants from this year’s competition here.

The disruption to China’s very first Mr Gay Pageant in January, and attempts to prevent Chinese representatives participating in Worldwide Mr Gay didn’t stop 26 year old Xiaodai Muyi [pictured fourth] from China competing and taking out fourth place.

Muyi was chosen by a panel of his peers in a secret competition following the shut down of the Mr Gay China event by Chinese authorities. Worldwide Mr Gay organisers kept Xiaodai’s identity secret in the lead up to the international competition, and Worldwide Mr Gay producer Tore Aasheim said that approval of his visa was rushed through by the Norwegian government to ensure he would be able to participate in the gay pride event before Chinese authorities could interfere further.

In a recent interview with the Vancouver Sun, Muyi said that he wanted to compete despite the very real possibility of facing the wrath of the Chinese government for his participation in the gay event upon his return home to China. He told the publication that he hoped he would inspire others to do the same.

“I think that by participating in this competition I will encourage hundreds of thousands of Chinese gays to stand up and come out of the closet,” said Xiaodai Muyi, 26.

“It is very courageous on his part to have taken the risk to leave his country to take part in an event to which Chinese authorities are hostile,” Aasheim said to gay website Towleroad.

Fear of harassment was bad enough to prevent at least six contestants from nations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East from traveling to and participating in the competition. However over 30 contestants did make it to the successful final events.

According to the official statement on their website, the aim of the Mr Gay World competition was to find a global role model for young men coming to terms with their sexual orientation.

The first duty of the newly appointed Worldwide Mr. Gay will be to fly to the Canadian host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver. As well as taking part in the Olympic festivities, the 28 year old Van De Berg will be an ambassador for equality and diversity at Pride House – a safe space that brings visibility to queer people in sport.

Original Text from:

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/international/5086/Meet-Worldwide-Mr-Gay-2010.htm

The baby is due in July, and the father is Dannii’s boyfriend Kris Smith, 31, a former rugby league player. Last year in a television interview Minogue told interviewer Piers Morgan that Smith was “the one”.

Smith followed suit on Twitter in a less original fashion, writing: “Woo hoo I’m gonna be a Daddy.” Dannii’s sister Kylie also confirmed her excitement on Twitter last night, with: “Congratulations to my sister Dannii and her partner Kris on the happy news!!!! I am so excited to be an Aunty again!! WOW WOW WOW!! xxx”

A spokesperson for Dannii is quoted as saying: “Dannii and Kris are very excited and can’t wait to start their family in 2010.”

Dannii has been denying the rumours which started circulating this week, after the couple were seen leaving a hospital in Melbourne.

“Dannii had her 12-week scan this week and was given the results today with the all-clear to make an announcement,” said her spokesperson.

Dannii seems to be stepping well and truly out of Kylie’s shadow, after gaining a huge following on X Factor and finding love. Media are speculating that she will not be returning for the next series of the show, as filming traditionally begins in August.

Source Text:

www.samesame.com.au

“I have never ever, ever lip-synced in my life,” Allen told UK publication The Sun. “I think I would be even worse than Britney. I would get it so wrong. At least when I get the lyrics wrong you can hear me get them wrong.”

Lily continued, “If you could see my mouth saying something completely different as to what came out of the speaker that would be embarrassing. Don’t worry, I am not going to mime, ever.”

However, when asked by Harper’s Bazaar who she preferred more, Lady Gaga or Britney Spears, she said that it was like comparing Picasso to Salvador Dali.

“You cannot compare [them]… You are putting Lady GaGa at the same level of Britney Spears? I really cannot believe it. Lady GaGa is good, but she’s a new artist, Britney Spears is a legend. They are two different artists, two forms of entertainment but very different – it’s like comparing Picasso to Dali.”

Lily Allen tours Australia in January 2010 for Big Day Out 2010. Dates are as follows:
17 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Gold Coast
19 Jan – River Stage, Brisbane
21 Jan – Hordern Pavillion, Sydney
22 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Sydney
23 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Sydney
26 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Melbourne
28 Jan – Festival Hall, Melbourne
29 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Adelaide
31 Jan – Big Day Out 2010 – Perth

Source Text:

www.samesame.com.au

Beware of the French kiss attack!

At 4PM when the whistle blows everybody kiss!

Why must we wait for Mardi Gras or to be on Oxford Street to kiss our lover in the street?

Why does our first love kiss not occur freely in a restaurant or on a public bench like straight people?

Are you fed up with walking with your partner in the street just like two plain friends?

Join us on the 12th of December to show everyone that homosexuality is not a sexuality matter, but first a love matter.

This is the fourth edition of the “Kiss in” event, first held in France and now Internationally. On the 12th of December, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium will also join in. Let’s show that Sydney is also up to fighting homophobia, let’s kiss each other in the streets to show that homosexuality is simply Love.

This event isn’t organised by any association, action group or political party and is a bit like a flash mob but with claim and purpose.

It will be held on the 12th of December 4pm and everybody is welcome regardless of his or her sexuality. The meeting place will be decided in a few days. It will probably held at “Martin Place”.

See the french video of the last Kiss in held in Paris!

Spread the word, get in lots of practice and see you there!

Source Text:

http://www.samesame.com.au/group/KISS_IN_to_fight_homophobia___Sydney___12th_of_dec#profile

2010: Year of Action for Same-Sex Marriage

Why November 28?

Groups around the country are busy gearing up for large demonstrations on November 28 to launch the Year of Action for Same-Sex Marriage. The Australian Senate is due to release a landmark report on same-sex marriage two days earlier, and we intend sending a clear message to the Government that the time for marriage equality is now. Please spread the word to friends, family and colleagues.

The Senate inquiry

The Senate is conducting an inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 introduced by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young. If enacted, it would redefine “marriage” under the Marriage Act in gender-neutral terms to allow for same-sex marriage. The Senate has received more than 20,000 submissions from groups and individuals either in favour of or against same-sex marriage.

If the Senate committee argues for reform, our rallies will put pressure on the government to adopt its recommendation. If the committee supports the status quo of discriminatory marriage laws, our rallies will be an opportunity to express our outrage, and further galvanise public support for the cause.

Source text and protest information:

http://www.equallove.info/nov28