Australian marriage equality advocates have welcomed reports that the Young Liberals will urge the federal party to allow a conscience vote on the issue.

The LGBTI community and the entire city are being urged to get behind Australia’s first gay rugby club, the Sydney Convicts, as they now prepare to play host to the Bingham Cup – dubbed the gay rugby world cup – in two years time.

A marriage equality bill introduced into Federal Parliament has been overwhelmingly defeated in the lower house today after almost half of all Labor MPs sided with leader Julia Gillard and the Coalition to oppose the reform.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has resigned as parliamentary secretary to Coalition Leader Tony Abbott after coming under fire from within his own party as well by marriage equality advocates for claiming same-sex marriage laws would lead to bestiality.

Australia’s largest professional association for civil celebrants have voted to support marriage equality.

It was standing room only at a public forum at Town Hall held last night to discuss ways to curb alcohol-fuelled violence on the streets of Kings Cross, with the NSW Government announcing an immediate compliance audit of all 58 late-trading licensed premises in the precinct.

In large part, Malcolm Turnbull’s recent landmark speech on marriage equality was praiseworthy.

High-profile Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull has been forced to defend himself after first winning the admiration and then the ire of some marriage equality activists following a major speech outlining his belief civil unions were more likely to be legislated for despite his personal support for same-sex marriage laws.

Marriage equality advocates have criticised Labor's right faction for bringing the parliamentary debate on gay marriage forward.

Openly gay Liberal Councillor Shayne Mallard announced he will step aside from as candidate for the position of Sydney Lord Mayor so he can run for the seat of Sydney in NSW Parliament.

SYDNEY: The annual Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF) Auction raised $63,000 following a function at Woolloomooloo last week.

You may have caught writer Clementine Ford last week asking Malcolm Turnbull on Q&A: “when are you going to take back the rightful leadership of the Liberal Party”? 

Activists have again warned that introducing federal civil unions rather than marriage equality would be unacceptable to same-sex couples.

Coalition backbenchers will be allowed a free vote on same-sex marriage when the bill is before parliament later this year, according to reports by The Australian.

Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham has once again called for Coalition MPs to be given a conscience vote on the issue of marriage equality, despite this week’s moves by federal Coalition leader Tony Abbott and shadow Cabinet to block a free vote on the issue when it comes up for debate in Federal Parliament next year.