The passing of legislation allowing same-sex couples to wed in New Zealand is attributable largely to strong leadership and bipartisanship – something Australia is severely lacking, writes Rodney Croome.

Labor's plan to scrap its anti-discrimination reforms and go back to the drawing board has brought stinging criticism.

Following a Federal Court decision late last week to throw out a legal challenge to the current ban on same-sex marriage, equal marriage advocates say it is even now more pressing that politicians act to remove marriage discrimination.

Advocates and activists from the LGBTI community have largely welcomed the recommendations of a Senate committee looking at the Federal Government’s proposed national anti-discrimination laws, with the committee suggesting religious exemptions be tightened for service providers, protections be strengthened for transgender people and that intersex people receive specific inclusion under any new legislation.

Any future changes to the Marriage Act must ensure it is gender-neutral so the law can reflect the fact that our biological sex doesn’t determine our personality, our relationship roles nor who we are attracted to, writes Ben Cooper.

A public hearing in Sydney yesterday into the Federal Government’s proposed new anti-discrimination laws heard that it was of utmost importance to provide specific legal protections for intersex people as well as remove or significantly tighten exemptions allowed for religious organisations.

Outrage is spreading as Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) has found itself in yet another anti-gay controversy after not one but two candidates of the newfound fledgling party likened gay and lesbians to paedophiles who are not fit to teach children at kindergarten.

SYDNEY: Parramatta Mayor John Chedid has sent Twenty10 a letter of apology following the widespread community outrage and ensuing social media backlash that met the Council after the queer youth support agency was ordered to remove signage during a family fun day last week.

A senior representative with Amnesty International has claimed people in Cameroon including LGBTI people are being subjected to a raft of abuses including unlawful killings and torture.

As the Liberal Party amps up its opposition to Labor’s proposed consolidation of federal anti-discrimination laws, the union representing staff across the nation’s universities has said the laws do not go far enough to protect the LGBTI community from discrimination and, if passed in its current guise, will actually legislate for homophobia.

MELBOURNE: Victorian Australian Marriage Equality convenor and recent Fitzroy ALP branch recruit Carl Katter claims the Baillieu Government’s amending of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act allowing faith based organisations to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality and gender difference and its recently announced intention to remove historic gay sex convictions points to an inconsistency of support for LGBT issues.

Beyondblue has given its backing to new social media guidelines announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and has urged Twitter to also agree to the Federal Government’s complaints-handling scheme for social networking sites in a bid to reduce cyber bullying.

Gay clergy will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England however they will have to meet certain conditions including repenting for past homosexual acts and promising to remain celibate.

The LNP Government’s watering down of Queensland’s civil union laws has failed to dent same-sex couples and others from having their relationships formally and legally recognised.

A major Jewish community organisation has given its support to proposed reforms to Commonwealth anti-discrimination laws while specifically singling out its backing for the inclusion of new protected grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.