New Zealand Legalizes Gay Marriage To Become First In Asia-Pacific Region

[Jingthing]

http://news.yahoo.com/zealand-lawmakers-approve-gay-marriage-bill-095457905.html

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand's Parliament as the country become the thirteenth in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage.

[Jingthing]

Video of the NZ lawmakers celebrating passage of this historic bill by singing a Maori love song:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/04/17/new_zealand_gay_marriage_law_passes_supporters_sing_maori_love_song_in_parliament.html

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson promised the sky would not cave in
today. ‘‘I give a promise to those people who are opposed to this bill
right now... the sun will still rise tomorrow, your teenage daughter
will still argue back with you as if she knows everything, your mortgage
will not grow, you will not have skin disease or rashes or toads in
your bed. So don’t make this into a big deal, this is fantastic for the
people if affects but for most of us life will go on.’’

Edited April 17, 2013 by Jingthing

[tombkk]

Very good news!

[David48]

Just the ditch ... but worlds apart ...

(Australian) Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ruled out any changes to federal legislation for now.

"What we have done is as a political party we've decided that people can
exercise their own views and their own conscience when this matter comes
before the parliament, which it recently did and I'm sure it will again
in future," she told a community cabinet meeting last night at
Ringwood, Victoria.

More here

[Jingthing]

A photo show about the international successes, NZ being the latest:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/specialreports/countries-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal/2012/05/10/gIQAwOziFU_gallery.html?hpid=z7#photo=1

[TexasRanger]

Seeing the reports on TV with men camping it up in wedding dresses was a bit weird though. You are a gay man <deleted>, not a woman. No wonder people don't take them seriously.

[sustento]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/17/maurice-williamson-new-zealand-gay-marriage-_n_3100714.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[tombkk]

Good speech, applause.