Gino Meriano comments “while we see Civil Partnerships starting to level itself out, we notice a growing trend predicted back in 2006 that even though it appears Civil Partnerships are dropping, in fact they are simply levelling out – The stats gives us a great indication of how this niche market is unfolding and is still far too early to make unfounded comments against the Act. Around 6/7,000 Civil Partnerships is new market and a net worth of over 10 million pounds, something that cannot be ignored.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 3,227 male and 3,054 female couples tied the knot last year, if you take the average dictated by Government that 6% of the UK population is gay equating to around 3.2 million people. Then combine this with the stats on average age of Civil Partnerships being between 35 and 40 years of age – then a new and unique niche market is forming that requires nurturing as the years go on and proves no surprise in the current market place”.

Civil Partnerships in brief

This update presents statistics on civil partnerships that were formed in the United Kingdom in 2009, as well as those which were dissolved. Figures on formations for Northern Ireland and the UK are provisional and all dissolution data are provisional.

Key findings

• The provisional number of civil partnerships formed in the UK in 2009 was 6,281, a decrease of 12 per cent since 2008.

• Northern Ireland was the only country to see an increase in the number of civil partnerships between 2008 and 2009, from 86 to 96.

• The average (mean) age of men forming a civil partnership in the UK in 2009 was 41.2 years. For women the average age was 38.9 years.

• The provisional number of civil partnership dissolutions granted in the UK in 2009 was 351.

Number of civil partnerships The number of civil partnerships formed in the UK by same-sex couples was 6,281 in 2009 compared with 7,169 in 2008. This represents an overall decrease of 12 per cent between 2008 and 2009. The total number of civil partnerships formed in the UK since the Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005 up to the end of 2009 is 40,237.

The number of civil partnership formations decreased in all countries of the UK between 2008 and 2009 except Northern Ireland where the number of civil partnerships increased by 12 per cent to 96. There was a decrease of 13 per cent in both England and Wales (5,443 and 244 partnerships in 2009 respectively) and of 5.1 per cent in Scotland (498 partnerships).

The number of civil partnerships in the UK peaked in the first quarter of 2006 at 4,869. The high numbers for 2006 reflected the fact that many same-sex couples in long-standing relationships took advantage of the opportunity to formalise their relationship as soon as the legislation was implemented. The number of civil partnerships has since fallen to an average of 1,570 per quarter in 2009.

In 2009, less than one person (0.5) per 1,000 unmarried adults aged 16 and over entered into a civil partnership in England and Wales, the same as in Scotland.

Civil partnerships by area of formation

As in 2008, London was the region within the UK with the highest number of registered civil partnerships in 2009. A quarter of all partnerships took place there (1,134 male and 411 female). It was also the region with the highest proportion of male civil partnerships compared with female.

The areas with the largest numbers of civil partnership registrations in 2009 were;

• Westminster (182 male and 60 female partnerships) and

• Brighton and Hove (123 male and 109 female partnerships)

There were more women than men dissolving a civil partnership in both England and Wales and in Scotland in 2009. In England and Wales, 63 per cent of civil partnerships dissolved in 2009 were to female couples and only 37 per cent were to male couples. The corresponding figures for Scotland were 71 per cent of dissolutions to female couples and 29 per cent to male couples.

By the end of 2009, 0.9 per cent of male civil partnerships in the UK had ended in dissolution, while 2.1 per cent of all UK female partnerships had ended in dissolution.

LOS ANGELES — A US court has blocked same-sex marriages in California until at least December while an appeal of a landmark decision to overturn a state ban is considered.

The decision by the federal court of appeals came hours after gay marriage opponents urged the ban on the unions to be maintained in the West Coast state.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the motion for a stay and scheduled further proceedings on the appeal to take place the week of December 6 in San Francisco.

The ruling halted an anticipated rush of gay marriages after Judge Vaughn Walker last week authorized same-sex weddings to begin again on August 18 in order to permit the court of appeals to consider the issue.

Opponents of gay marriage argued in their appeal that most of the United States and the majority of countries worldwide do not allow gay marriage because the institution of marriage serves a societal interest.

“California, 44 other states, and the vast majority of countries throughout the world continue to draw the line at marriage because it continues to serve a vital societal interest,” the appeal said.

The purpose of marriage is between members of the opposite sex “to channel potentially procreative sexual relationships into enduring, stable unions for the sake of responsibly producing and raising the next generation,” it said.

Some 18,000 gay and lesbian couples tied the knot between May and November 2008 when gay marriage was briefly allowed by the state of California.

Currently only the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the US capital Washington, recognize gay marriage.

Both California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Attorney General Jerry Brown had filed motions last Friday demanding same-sex marriages be allowed to resume immediately.

Walker had last week found in favor of activists who argued that the California referendum which barred same-sex marriage was discriminatory and therefore violated the US Constitution.

The referendum, known as Proposition 8, was passed by a 52 percent majority in November 2008, only six months after California’s Supreme Court overturned a previous ban on same-sex weddings, sending gays and lesbians flocking to marry.

Legal experts believe the case is almost certain to end up before the US Supreme Court in around two years, once appeals hearings in lower courts have run their course

Shared by Gino Meriano

Judge Vaughn Walker ruled last week that banning gay marriage in the state is unconstitutional but ruled on Thursday that his verdict should apply now, rather than staying the order while gay marriage opponents appeal.

However, the week-long delay means that gay marriage opponents can appeal to a higher court to keep the ban in place.

Judge Walker wrote: “The evidence presented at trial and the position of the representatives of the State of California show that an injunction against enforcement of Proposition 8 is in the public’s interest.

“Accordingly, the court concludes that the public interest counsels against entry of the stay proponents seek.”

If no order to keep the ban is made, gay couples can begin marrying again on Wednesday August 18th.

California legalised marriage for gay couples in 2008 but the voter initiative Proposition 8 struck it down in the same year.

Judge Walker’s verdict comes after a three-week trial in February, which was the first federal trial to examine the issue.

Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown had asked the him to lift the stay.

The issue is expected to be contested all the way to the US Supreme Court.

Shared by Gino Meriano @ PinkApproved.com
http://wiki.pinkapproved.com/index.php/News,_Prop_8_ruling_adds_meaning_to_my_marriage

In the interview Gino talks about how gay stereotypes are not portrayed well, if it’s about education then researchers should follow the advice from the professionals to ensure the correct message is sent out to the viewers rather than over blown assumptions that the community bases itself around sex, camp and outlandish story lines.

The media needs to understand that “the majority” just simply live their lives, why is there the need for this ongoing battle of the first gay couple, gay kiss or even mixed religions to stir the fire when in fact it is not required. This is not good TV this promotes and enhances hatred and ruins all the good work campaigners and the community offer to make everyones life “normal”

Gino continues “Educate yourselves and portray the community in the right light, be truthful and honest about the scenes and people will see a better side and understand some of the issues we as a community face rather than basing a story line for the ratings”

WARSAW — Thousands of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and supporters of equal rights for sexual minorities marched through the streets of Warsaw on Saturday, urging Poland’s government to give homosexual partnerships legal status.

But they admitted legislation was not on the cards in the strongly Catholic country, where homosexuality is still a social taboo and relatively few people choose to be openly gay.

“We demand a civil partnership law,” read a massive banner at the head of the colourful Europride parade which wound through the Polish capital in sweltering heat, close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

“We’re hoping to open up a debate on the topic of affording legal status to the partnerships of gay and lesbian couples but we’re not optimistic such legislation will be passed anytime soon,” Jacek Adler, editor in chief of the www.gaylife.pl Polish gay lifestyle website, told AFP.

Opinion surveys show that 80 percent of Poles oppose gay marriage and 93 percent believe gay and lesbian couples should not have the right to adopt children. Two out of three Poles oppose gay demonstrations.

Saturday’s event is the first time the annual Europride parade is being held in an ex-communist state. Last year’s march, in Zurich, Switzerland, attracted some 50,000 people.

Marchers, some from as far away as Vancouver, Canada, jived along the route to hits by gay icon Kyle Minogue among others.

But it was more low-key affair than those in western Europe which also feature scantily clad revellers and drag queens.

“I don’t think Poland is as homophobic as some people think it is, but for whatever reasons, people are still uncomfortable with the issue of homosexuality,” Ken Coolen, director of Vancouver’s gay pride parade told AFP.

“It’s the midst of a change here in Poland, where more people are coming out,” he said.

“We want to be in solidarity with Polish gay and lesbians and we want also to show the police in Poland that there is no problem to be openly gay in the police,” Stockholm policeman Goran Stanton, who also serves as head of the Association of Gay Police of Sweden, told AFP.

Some 2,000 police officers, some clad in riot gear, were on hand to provide security against possible counter protests by far right groups.

The march passed on largely unhampered apart from an incident when eggs and bottles were hurled at protestors by some people trying to block the parade. Eight were detained for attacking police officers, reports said.

Catholic groups opposing homosexuality distributed pamphlets to parade goers with an image of Jesus Christ saying: “I have not come to condemn but to redeem.”

They also held prayer vigils at local churches “in the intention of redeeming parade participants.”

The decision to hold Europride in Warsaw sparked controversy in deeply-Catholic Poland — where gays have long complained of intolerance, and openly homophobic remarks by politicians are far from rare.

“We started lobbying already in 2005 against all odds and amid a very unfriendly atmosphere towards gay rights in our country,” said Adam Biskupiak of the Equality Foundation, the Polish group which is organising the rally.

Poland’s late conservative president Lech Kaczynski — who died in a plane crash in April — banned a gay rights rally by local campaigners in 2005 when he was mayor of Warsaw.

He later fell foul of the European Court of Human Rights for that decision.

Despite Warsaw city hall now being controlled by Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, a member of the Civic Platform liberal party now governing Poland, city authorities declined support — both symbolic and financial — for the Europride event.

Shared  by Gino Meriano

PinkApproved and New Orleans launch Micro site for destination, hotels and events www.neworleanscvb.com/pinkapproved

In an ongoing campaign to raise awareness to New Orleans, the PinkApproved hotels and events such as Southern Decadence, Pink Approved have take the next step and worked alongside New Orleans CVB to create the micro site

Gino Meriano comments “This is such fantastic news and a welcomed one, the partnership with New Orleans CVB is a fantastic one and growing week on week. The micro site is fresh and offers people the opportunity of seeing this amazing destination, wrapped with our price promises and fantastic PinkApproved hotels”

 New Orleans becomes the next destination for PinkApproved events in less that 7 months of going live

 END

Argentina’s Senate has voted 33-27 to support a bill to legalise gay marriage.

As President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner supports the legislation, she is expected to sign it into law, making Argentina the first Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage.

The bill will grant gay couples equal rights, including the right to adopt children. It amends marriage laws to refer to the “marrying parties”, rather than men and women.

The protests of religious groups did not dissuade politicians from backing the bill, despite thousands of people demonstrating against it in capital city Buenos Aires yesterday.

The Pope’s number one in the country, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, even claimed it was the work of the devil.

President Kirchner rebutted this, saying that such sentiments “send us back to medieval times and the Inquisition”.

Currently, only a few areas of Argentina recognise civil unions between same-sex couples: Buenos Aires itself, the province of Río Negro in Patagonia, and the city of Villa Carlos Paz in Córdoba province.

Worldwide, Argentina is the tenth country to allow gay marriage after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Iceland, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden and Portugal.

Posted by Gino Meriano and bought to you by PinkApproved

PinkApproved story continues….

Discover an exceptional collection of hotels  that capture the essence of New Orleans charm and hospitality. The New Orleans Hotel Collection is set apart by its distinctive style, personalized service and superb location ideal for meetings, events and weddings large or small as well as business and leisure travellers alike.

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, historic French Quarter and Warehouse District provide backdrops for the collection, allowing  guests to experience the spirit of New Orleans.

Take a leisurely stroll along the Mississippi River at the Riverwalk Marketplace, discover the art galleries and antiques of Royal Street, take part in the nightlife of Bourbon Street or travel stress-free with a close stay to the airport.

Gino Meriano, Founder comments “It’s amazing to see how many hotels are joining our PinkApproved endorsed programme. The team are proud to support New Orleans and start our promotional campaigns supporting the destination, events and hotels. It has to be seen to be believed, if you have never allowed New Orleans to embrace you with all the charms it holds take a trip and feel the experience now. The New Orleans Hotel Collection does exactly that with style and service”.

The New Orleans Hotel Collection, LLC manages a collection of hotels and their affiliated restaurants, bars and lounges and PinkApproved are proud to launch the following amazing endorsed hotels to the New Orleans WIKI.

Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Dauphine Orleans Hotel
St. Louis Hotel
Wyndham Riverfront New Orleans

Why not WIKI it now http://wiki.pinkapproved.com/index.php/New_Orleans

Southern Decadence
The New Orleans Hotel Collection supports “Southern Decadence” get great rates for a great event, check out bookings on  http://wiki.pinkapproved.com/index.php/Southern_Decadence

END

Earlier this morning Gino Meriano was interviewed about Civil Partnerships and the possible introduction of religious attachments and buildings to take the act one step further.

Gino commented “This was a great move forward but we must see this from both sides and while the current legislation allows for Civil Partnerships to be held in churches and religious buildings, there is still an opt out clause. The next step is to give them legal rights to sign the documentation making same sex couples ceremonies in a church or religious building, legal”

Over London Pride weekend Liberal Democrat MP and equality minister Lynne Featherstone has said that the government will consult with a range of stakeholders on progressing civil partnerships and gay marriage.

Gino comments “again a great move but why “Gay Marriage” its either “Marriage” or “Equal Marriage” there seems to be a constant move to keeping the LGB and T community boxed and labelled when there is no need. These people including Ms Featherstone need to understand the terms correctly for true equality to happen”

There are interesting times ahead of us and only continued campaigning will see change in legislation for the future generation.

Gino Meriano, gay right campaigner for same sex families comments “It still never surprises me to hear such words like “decaying society” and the “downfall of the world”. Such dramatic words and deep rooted hatred towards the LGB community. Are we really that dangerous that it allows and permits people like this to openly discriminate and get away with it. I was always a believer that religious groups support Humanity, good will to all – it’s a shame they do not look inside themselves to see how much hate and anger they have towards a society that does not fit within their books. Are we really allowing these people to send us back in time where even mixed race couples should not be allowed or is it simply the fact they hate gay people, this has to stop and stop now. It’s a real disgrace and poor presentation of peace and respect”.

Read the thoughts here http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2010/0703/1224273896153.html