GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel Spokesman Says Same-Sex Marriage Is "Not A Goal Of This Government"

Via Reuters:

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition agreed on Wednesday to make small changes to same-sex civil partnership rules but staunch opposition from conservatives in her party means Germany will not follow Ireland in allowing gay marriages any time soon. Although there are growing divisions within the party, Merkel's Christian Democrats are still overwhelmingly opposed to same-sex marriages partly due to fears it could upset voters on the right. However, polls show 75 percent of Germans are in favour of legalising gay marriages, as are the Social Democrats (SPD) and all opposition parties. The overwhelming "yes" vote in Ireland for same-sex marriage had triggered a discussion in Germany about the lingering gap in rights between registered partnerships and marriages. "Today was an important milestone in dismantling discrimination and the chancellor is pleased about that," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said. "But same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government." "Every country makes its own laws - some countries go one route while others go another," said Seibert, when asked about Ireland. "In Germany we'll take a path that suits Germany."

Merkel was elected to a third term in 2013.

Unfortunate Photo Of The Day

Israel's Haaretz has the story:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint press conference on Tuesday in which they addressed weighty topics such as Israeli-Palestinian peace, the Iranian nuclear program and bilateral ties. Shortly afterward, their meeting was nearly eclipsed by a photograph of the two leaders attributed to Jerusalem Post photographer Marc Israel Sellem. The image began making waves on Twitter and Facebook, and made it to the top of the Drudge Report site and other international outlets by Tuesday afternoon.

Twitter is going nuts.

GERMANY: Angela Merkel Reelected

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been reelected to a third term.

Her conservative bloc took about 41.5% of the vote - but her liberal partners failed to make it into parliament. It is thought she is likely to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) who won 26%. The results showed that the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) won only 4.8%, which correspondents say is a disaster for the junior coalition partner, leaving it with no national representation in parliament for the first time in Germany's post-war history. Party chairman Philipp Roesler called it "the bitterest, saddest hour of the Free Democratic Party". The FDP was beaten by the Green Party (8.4%) and the former communist Left Party (8.6%). It almost finished behind the new Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), which advocates withdrawal from the euro currency and took 4.7%, just short of the parliamentary threshold.

Merkel opposes same-sex marriage and her reelection does not bode well for advances on the issue.

GERMANY: High Court Rules That Gay Couples Deserve Equal Tax Benefits

In what is being characterized as a setback to the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's highest court has ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same tax benefits granted to married straight couples.

The verdict requires a change in the law and is a red rag to some in Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and its traditionally Catholic Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), who worry that conservative values are being diluted. The ruling was widely expected after the court in February overturned a ban on same-sex couples adopting a child already adopted by one of the partners. "The provisions set out in the income-tax law violate the general rule of equality," wrote the Karlsruhe-based court, adding the law should be changed retroactively from August 2001. Same-sex partnerships have been legal in Germany since 2001 but do not enjoy the same tax benefits as married heterosexuals.

Openly gay Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle hailed the ruling, saying that the time has come "for German tax law to be as modern as its society." A spokesman for the Christian Social Union party denounced the news as an attack on the "sanctity of marriage." (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel Tells Pro Soccer Players To Come Out

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday declared that professional soccer players should not fear coming out. Merkel's statement comes as the nation buzzes about the identity of a player who was quoted anonymously this week as saying that he would come out, but he fears for his safety.

Gay Star News has Merkel's quote:

"I am of the opinion that anyone who sums up the strength and bravery – and we have a long tradition of this behind us in politics – should know that they live in a land where they have nothing to fear. ‘The fact there are still fears for some people for their own situation means we need to send out a clear message: you must not be afraid."

The unnamed player is reportedly a major star. He told Fluter Magazine:

"I would no longer be safe if my sexuality was to be made public. I don’t know whether I will be able to take the constant tension between the model heterosexual player and the possible discovery until the end of my career. Should someone explain to the outraged crowd before the game that 'the gays' are actually completely normal men and then simply play? Unimaginable. In the situation in a stadium or after the game, any tiny thing within the group would be made into a big deal."

Bush 41 To Get Medal Of Freedom

Former President George H.W. Bush will be among 14 recipients of the Medal Of Freedom, the highest civilian honor granted by the United States.

President Obama will present the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to former president George H. W. Bush and 14 others with careers in politics, the arts, business and sports. In a statement, Mr. Obama said the award recipients “have lived extraordinary lives that have inspired us, enriched our culture, and made our country and our world a better place. I look forward to awarding them this honor.” The award is presented to individuals who have made “especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” according to a press release from the White House.

Included among the other recipients are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, civil rights activist John Lewis, billionaire investor Warren Buffet, poet Maya Angelou, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Germany To Get Gay Foreign Minister

With the re-election of Angela Merkel as chancellor, it appears that Germany will get its first openly gay foreign minister in Guido Westerwelle. The German press is eating it up.

Guido Westerwelle and his gay partner are Germany's new "power couple" — at least according to the nation's leading daily, which splashed a photo of the pair hugging on election night on the front-page above the fold in Tuesday's paper. The ringing endorsement for the 47-year-old Westerwelle, who is widely expected to be tapped for the high-profile post of foreign minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's new government, in the Bild daily also highlighted his personal life in a way he rarely has. "His man makes him so strong," Bild wrote about Westerwelle, declaring that his 42-year-old partner Michael Mronz was not only his most important adviser during the campaign, but also "gives him security and ... supports him when he suffers a setback." Despite eight years as leader of the pro-business Free Democrats, Westerwelle's homosexuality has generated relatively little discussion. But with his party set to become kingmaker to Chancellor Merkel's conservatives and him foreign minister, it has been thrust into the spotlight.

Westerwelle and his partner, an events manager, have been together for six years. Germany's LGBT activists say that in his role as foreign minister, they will demand that Westerwelle advocate for the rights of gays in other countries.

(Tipped by JMG reader Kim)