European Court Denounces Italy, Says Partner Recognitions Are Overdue

Via the Daily Mail:

The European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy on Tuesday for failing to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples and said the country should introduce some form of civil union for homosexual couples. Italy is the only major western European country that does not recognise either civil partnerships or gay marriage. The country was taken to the Strasbourg-based European Court by three homosexual couples who all complained that Italy discriminated against them because of their sexual orientation. In their ruling, a panel of seven judges said same-sex couples in Italy needed greater legal rights. "The Court considered that the legal protection currently available in Italy to same-sex couples ... not only failed to provide for the core needs relevant to a couple in a stable committed relationship, but it was also not sufficiently reliable," it said. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said at the weekend his government would introduce a law on civil unions by the end of the year, convincing a junior minister to end a hunger strike he had started in early July to protest at the lack of legislation.

Bolding is mine. In its ruling the court cites Obergefell. See Section #4. (Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

GREECE: Voters Reject Bailout

Via the New York Times:

Greeks delivered a shocking rebuff to Europe’s leaders on Sunday, decisively rejecting a deal offered by the country’s creditors in a historic vote that could redefine Greece’s place in Europe and shake the Continent’s financial stability. As people gathered to celebrate in Syntagma Square in central Athens, the Interior Ministry reported that with more than 90 percent of the vote tallied, 61 percent of the voters had said no to a deal that would have imposed greater austerity measures. The no votes carried virtually every district in the country, handing a sweeping victory to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, a leftist who came to power in January vowing to reject new austerity measures, which he called an injustice and economically self-defeating. Last month he walked away from negotiations in frustration at the creditors’ demands, called the referendum and urged Greeks to vote no as a way to give him more bargaining power.

From the BBC:

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was consulting the leaders of eurozone member states, and would have a conference call with key EU officials and the ECB on Monday morning. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are scheduled to meet in Paris on Monday. A summit of eurozone heads of state has been called for Tuesday. The European Commission - one of the "troika" of creditors along with the IMF and the ECB - wanted Athens to raise taxes and slash welfare spending to meet its debt obligations. Greece's Syriza-led government, which was elected in January on an anti-austerity platform, said creditors had presented it with an "ultimatum", using fear to put pressure on Greeks. The Greek government's opponents and some Greek voters had complained that the question in Sunday's referendum was unclear. EU officials said it applied to the terms of an offer that was no longer on the table.

Via Reuters:

Shares fell, the euro stumbled and yields on weaker euro zone economies' bonds rose after Greece overwhelmingly voted against conditions for a rescue package, but there was no rout and contagion was limited. Investors sought low-risk assets including Bunds, but the yield premium of Italian 10-year debt over Germany remained below the eight-month highs it hit a week ago. The euro lost half a percent to $1.1053 and 0.6 percent against the safe-haven Japanese yen. It fell as low as $1.0967 in Asia before rebounding, garnering some support from the resignation of Greece's outspoken finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis. Analysts attributed the relatively muted market reaction to expectations the European Central Bank would act to limit any damage. The ECB's governing council was holding a conference call on Monday to decide how long to keep Greek banks afloat.

ITALY: Hundreds Of Thousands Rally In Rome Against Same-Sex Marriage

Breitbart celebrates:

Hundreds of thousands of people travelled from all over Italy and Europe yesterday to protest against the proposed legalisation of gay marriage, and the teaching of ‘gender theories’ in schools. Gathering in the San Giovanni Square in Rome, with estimates of participants running from 300,000 to a million people, the protest put the ‘anti-Austerity’ protests held in London on the same day to shame, for sheer volume of people and absence of criminal behaviour. Attendees held aloft banners reading “The family will save the world” and “Let’s defend our children”, as Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi tries to push a civil union bill through parliament.

The call for Italy to keep pace with its western European neighbours on the issue has grown stronger since Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage last month. But rights activists warn it will be no mean feat for the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party to find allies across the political spectrum, blaming an excessive influence of the Catholic clergy on the political class. Rejecting the assertion, Massimo Gandolfini, spokesman for the “Defend our children!” committee said: “We are asking for families based on marriage be respected, and stressing the central role parents play. We forcefully reject the attempt to sneak into the curriculum projects which aim to destroy children’s sexual identities”.

More from Yahoo News:

While a survey published by Italian daily La Stampa at the end of May found that 51 percent of voters would support gay marriage, protesters in Rome said the state should stop trying to interfere in sexual or gender education. "We are asking for families based on marriage be respected, and stressing the central role parents play. We forcefully reject the attempt to sneak into the curriculum projects which aim to destroy children's sexual identities," said Massimo Gandolfini, spokesman for the "Defend our children!" committee. There were both cries of support and derision from the political sphere.

Matteo Salvini, rising star on the far right and head of the Northern League party, sent a Facebook "hug for all the mummies and daddies protesting peacefully in Rome to defend their children's future." Vincenzo Brana, head of the long-standing Arcigay gay rights association in Bologna, was quick to point out that "today is World Refugee Day", with hundreds of thousands of migrants in Italy facing an uncertain future. Their problems "are an urgent issue which concerns us all. Those who take to the streets to talk of other things show they are living on another planet, and I would recommend leaving them on that planet alone."

Note the many Manif Pour Tous flags.

Panti Bliss: I'm Drunk On Yes

"Yes. It's such a little word but today it feels so big. YES. Has one simple syllable ever meant so much before? Not to me anyway. I've never asked anyone to marry me, but today it feels like I asked a whole country to marry me and they said Yes. And I'm delighted. Ecstatic. I'm over the gay moon and drunk on Yes, and like any happy groom on his wedding morning, I'm truly, deeply, madly in love. I am in love with the whole country.

"Groups of men and women all across the country - students with shaved heads and grandmothers with headscarves, indefatigable activists and groggy-from-night-work taxi drivers - knocking on the doors of their fellow citizens in the pursuit of a simple and beautiful idea: the we are all equally deserving of respect.

"On Friday, Ireland agreed with that simple proposition. Forty years after those first brave men and women stood up and said, 'no more', the people of Ireland said Yes, and what must have seemed impossible all those years ago has been achieved: Ireland's LGBTI citizens are full and equal citizens under the law." - Panti Bliss, writing for the Sunday Independent.

Quote Of The Day - Evan Wolfson

"With a nationwide landslide in favor, Ireland now becomes the first country in the world to pass the freedom to marry by popular referendum, as well as the 21st nation and the 10th predominantly Catholic country in which same-sex couples can marry. Our Irish colleagues at Yes Equality ran a magnificent campaign and Freedom to Marry is proud to have shared what we’ve learned in our own campaign here in the US. The global momentum for the freedom to marry reflects and reinforces the progress we are making here in the United States – and we look now to the Supreme Court to bring our country to national resolution, following Ireland’s good example." - Evan Wolfson, head of Freedom To Marry, via press release.

Scotland Leads Ranking Of LGBT Rights

Via press release:

According to ILGA-Europe’s annual review of LGBTI equality and human rights laws across the continent, published today, Scotland now comes ahead of the rest of the UK and Europe in the legal protections offered to LGBTI people. The ‘Rainbow Europe Index’ measures progress in European countries on LGBTI equality against a 48-point criteria that includes legal protections from discrimination in employment and services, measures to tackle hate crime, rights and recognition for transgender and intersex people, and equality in family law including same-sex marriage and parenting rights.

Following the legalisation of same-sex marriage last year, Scotland now meets 92% of ILGA Europe’s criteria, compared to 86% for the UK as a whole. The UK’s overall figure is brought down by lack of protections for intersex people in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland’s failure to respect LGBTI human rights in a range of areas including its refusal to legalise same-sex marriage. 

Scotland (92%) is joined in ILGA-Europe’s ranking of the top five countries for LGBTI legal equality by the rest of the UK (86%), Belgium (83%), Malta (77%), and Sweden (72%). The five countries ranked worst for LGBTI legal equality in Europe include Azerbaijan (5%), Russia (8%), Armenia (9%), Ukraine (10%) and Monaco (11%). With a few exceptions, the human rights of LGBTI people are better respected in Western Europe than Central Europe, and are least protected in Eastern Europe.

(Tipped by JMG reader Timothy)

Iceland Drops EU Membership Bid

Via the BBC:

The government of Iceland has announced it is no longer seeking EU membership for the North Atlantic state. Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson said he had already informed current EU president Latvia and the European Commission about the cabinet's move. Iceland gave no reason for dropping its bid to join the 28-member bloc. But after winning the 2013 elections two Eurosceptic parties said the nation already enjoyed most full membership benefits through deals with the EU. The island nation has free trade arrangements with the bloc and is part of the Schengen visa-free travel zone.

Five other nations are formally recognized candidates for EU membership: Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey.

SWITZERLAND: Hate Speech Bill Passes

Via Gay Star News:

Switzerland has voted for a law to protect LGBTI people from discrimination. The parliament voted with 103 in favor, 73 against and nine abstentions to ensure nobody is targeted with hate speech and discrimination on the basis of their sexual or gender identity. It was an amendment to a law that already protected people of different races or faiths. "It's nice to live in a country that recognizes diversity and supports the same equal protection for everyone." according to Bastian Baumann, Secretary-General of Pink Cross. Secretary General of The Swiss Lesbian Organization, Barbara Lanthemann, added: "The law is not only important for LGBT organizations; it also improves the daily life of lesbians and gays."

Last month the lower chamber of the Swiss Parliament approved a same-sex marriage bill. Should it be approved by the upper chamber, its enactment would require passage via a national referendum. In 1999 Switzerland banned anti-LGBT discrimination in business and employment. Partnership rights were recognized in 2007. In 2001 Swiss voters overwhelming rejected a campaign to join the European Union.

SLOVENIA: National Council Might Force Another Vote On Marriage Equality

Last week the Slovene Parliament voted 51-28 to approve same-sex marriage. Anti-gay groups have already filed for a national referendum, but it turns out there is a more immediate threat from Slovenia's National Council, which Wikipedia defines this way:

The National Council is according to the Constitution of Slovenia the representative of social, economic, professional and local interest groups in Slovenia and has a legislative function working as a corrective mechanism of the National Assembly, although it does not itself pass acts. It may be regarded as the upper house, but the bicameralism is distinctively incomplete.The council has 40 members: 22 representatives of local interests, six representatives of non-commercial activities, four representatives of employers, four of employees and four representatives of farmers, crafts, trades and independent professionals. It is not elected directly by the population, but meant to represent different interest groups in the country. The councilors are elected for a five-year term.

It appears that the National Council can only force the Parliament to take another vote. Slovenes, please weigh in.

POLL: Europeans Tend To Overestimate Local Muslim Populations

Per this Economist graphic, polled Europeans tend to wildly overestimate the percentage of Muslims in their nation. The French, for example, told pollsters that their country is about 31% Muslim. The actual figure is 8%. Similarly, a 2011 Gallup poll showed Americans tend to believe that 25% of the country is LGBT.

BRITAIN: London Airspace Closed After Power Outage At Air Traffic Control

Via RT News:

Dozens of flights to and from Heathrow airport have been delayed or cancelled due to a power outage at air traffic control, European air traffic control authority Eurocontrol said on Friday. Heathrow, which is the UK’s busiest airport, said London airspace would be closed until 7pm on Friday, leaving a number of planes stuck on its limited runway space. “There is a power outage at the NATS control center in Swanwick which is affecting UK airspace,” a Heathrow spokesperson said. “Flights are currently experiencing delays. We will update passengers as soon as we have more information.” London Gatwick Airport claims no flights are currently departing from its runways, but flights are arriving as normal. A number of flights are being held over the English Channel.

Departures are being held at airports on the US east coast.

MAP: What EU Nations Are Worst At

The categories for France, Denmark. and Romania are really dumb compared to the seriousness of the others. Visit Thrillist for a breakdown. A huge version of the map is here. (Via JMG reader Aaron)

MACEDONIA: Hooded Mob Trashes LGBT Center In Nation's Capital Of Skopje

Via Balkan Insight:

Around 20 hooded hooligans tried to wreck the second birthday party of the centre for support of the LGBT community on Thursday in Skopje, vandalizing the “Damar” cafe in the Old Bazaar area, where the event took place. A woman was injured after the hooligans threw a bottle at her head. Witnesses said the attack only lasted around 10 minutes but had devastating effects. “The hooligans entered the cafe and started throwing everything, like bottles, crates… It was a stampedе. One girl was injured and was taken to the accident and emergency centre. She is fine, but still recovering,” Uranija Pirovska, director of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Macedonia, a host of the event, said. The victims of the homophobic rampage said they could not see the faces of the hooligans because they wore hoods. “They were well organized. They had an exact plan of how to enter, what to demolish and when to leave, before the police came,” a witness said.

The center is supported financially by the local Dutch embassy. Macedonia is one of six nations currently seeking membership in the European Union. Its application has been pending since 2004.

From The President Of Estonia

Ilves was born in Sweden to Estonian refugees and was raised in New Jersey. He's a graduate of Columbia and has a master's degree from Penn. Dare we call him the first Ivy League president of a former Soviet republic?

ESTONIA: Civil Unions Approved

Estonia today became the first former Soviet republic to approve a civil unions bill. The vote was very close. Via the Associated Press:

In a 40-38 vote, lawmakers voted Thursday in favor of a civil partnership act that recognizes the civil unions of all couples regardless of gender. Twenty-three lawmakers were absent or abstained in the third and final reading of the bill. The new law comes into force in 2016. Estonia, which like Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union for almost five decades, is deemed the most Western-oriented of the former republics ruled by Moscow. The Estonian Human Rights Center hailed the law as "historic," saying it would send a strong message to neighboring Russia, which passed what it called "a draconian anti-gay law" last year.

More from Estonia Public Broadcasting:

If signed by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the Cohabitation Act would enter force in 2016 and allow cohabitating couples, irrespective of the gender of either partner, the right to register their relationship at a notary and enjoy the kinds of financial benefits conferred by marriage. The final version also provides for the possibility of adoption by unmarried cohabiting couples. There is some fine print, however: to enter into force in 2016, some implementing acts will have to be passed first. These require 51 of 101 MPs to be in favor.

The Family Act, which was not affected by the bill, continues to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The Reform Party, the ruling party which championed the bill along with the Social Democrats, hailed the passage as a game-changer. In a political process that saw protests, petitions and social media campaigns, top Reform Party MP and former justice minister Kristen Michal said it debunked the myth that Estonians were closed-minded. "Estonia is very small. There are too few people for building walls between neighbors," he said.

You may recall that NOM and other US-based Christian groups have campaigned against LGBT rights in Estonia.

On Monday the US-based LifeSiteNews reported on Christian opposition to today's achievement.

Pro-family Estonians held a massive rally against a proposed civil union law, which they say is a precursor to legalized same-sex "marriage," outside the Parliament building in the capital city of Tallinn on Sunday. Several thousand people came out for the rally to voice their opposition to the draft "Cohabitation Act" that would allow cohabiting couples, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, the same legal protection as married couples.

"The adoption of this law would be a part of a much wider effort to pervert our society's moral foundations and this thing would not stop with approving the law. We have gathered here to send politicians a very clear message – the Estonian people will not accept humiliation, ignoring our cultural traditions, whether it is done under the perverse slogan of tolerance, or under the pressure of foreign masters," said Varro Vooglaid, head of the Foundation for the Defense of Tradition and Family, which organized the protest.

Could this week get ANY worse for Brian Brown? Snork!

Germany Pitches For LGBT Tourism

Germany's National Tourism Office has launched a new website in support of LGBT tourism. Via Gay Times:

The country that gave us Adidas, Einstein and World Cup winning super-stud, Mario Gotze (move over Beckham) has now published the perfect resource to plan your next trip to Germany, and it’s all tailored exclusively with LGBT visitors in mind. That doesn’t mean that this new website is all about pride events, parties and bars though. Of course there is some really useful information on the LGBT scene in Germany’s five largest cities — Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne, as well as details of the major LGBT festivals and events that take place across the country. But there is also information on Germany’s buzzing art landscape, cutting-edge architecture, latest design trends as well as what’s happening right now on the German fashion scene too.

The Richest People In Europe

Readable version here. According to Reddit, there are 110 billionaires in Russia. Germany is second with 58, followed by Turkey with 43.

SLOVAKIA: Anti-Gay Group Pushes For Referendum To Ban Gay Marriage

Via the Slovak Spectator:

The constitutional definition of marriage, which some gay-right-advocates openly called a ban on same-sex marriages, does not go far enough, some conservative activists say, as they gather signatures to force a referendum that would make the laws even stronger. Behind the referendum initiative is the Alliance for Family (AZR), which declares itself a non-partisan and non-religious organisation and which emerged during the preparations for the September 2013 March for Life as an alliance of dozens of pro-family organisations. It has collected over 300,000 signatures under its petition, which needs to be signed by 350,000 citizens in order to be binding for the president to hold a referendum. The AZR hopes to achieve this aim by the end of this summer, the Sme daily reported. The referendum could possibly be held together with the November 15 municipal elections.

The petition is being backed by Catholic bishops.

Macedonia To Ban Gay Marriage

Via the Associated Press:

Macedonia's parliament has agreed to consider proposed constitutional amendments to effectively ban gay marriage and impose limits on public debt. Lawmakers agreed Wednesday to begin the amendment process proposed by the governing conservatives, who with their political allies already have the two-thirds majority of seats needed to approve the changes after winning a landslide election victory in April. The amendments would define marriage exclusively as a heterosexual union, limit the national debt to 60 percent of gross domestic product and limit the country's annual budget deficit to 3 percent.

One Million Attend Madrid Pride 2014

Madrid claims to have put on the largest gay pride celebration in Europe.

“I came because I was told it is the biggest Gay Pride parade, and that’s true,” said Christophe Probst, 47, a Frenchman who came from Paris for the party. “It’s fantastic. The whole city gets involved. There is nothing else like it.” The festival kicked off on Wednesday night with an open air appearance by Conchita Wurst, the bearded Austrian transvestite who won the Eurovision song contest in May. That was followed on Thursday by an annual highlight of the festival: men in high heels and dresses raced on foot through Madrid’s gay district, Chueca, cheered on by crowds. Wurst sang on Friday evening alongside various Spanish stars at a concert in the Vicente Calderon stadium, home to Atletico Madrid football club. Organisers call it the biggest pride party in Europe.

In the second clip below, Conchita Wurst performs with Ruth Lorenzo, Spain's 2014 Eurovision contestant.