Tag Archives: same-sex marriage

International, Same-sex Marriage, Travel

TURKISH AIRLINES CEO SAYS MARRIAGE EQUALITY WILL HELP PREVENT INTENTIONAL PLANE CRASHES

April 17, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The marriage equality movement has found an unusual ally — the CEO of Turkish Airlines — who recently said that pilots may not be as prone to destructive behavior like that of the Germanwings pilot believed to have intentionally crashed a flight last month — if only they get married.

At an event Thursday, Temel Kotil told new Turkish Airlines pilots that the March 24 crash in the French Alps showed that pilots’ lifestyles are important.

Prosecutors believe that the co-pilot of Flight 9525 intentionally crashed the Barcelona-Duesseldorf flight and are trying to determine why. Kotil noted that the accident happened after the pilot Andreas Lubitz had broken up with his girlfriend.

He added: “Therefore, I am guiding those who are single toward marriage from this podium.”

Acknowledging that there are pilots (and flight attendants) who may be gay or lesbian, Kotil called upon all nations , including Turkey, to legalize same-sex marriage so that their LGBT pilot citizens can get married, thus avoiding incidents like that of the Germanwings tragedy.

Same-gender sexual activity has been legal in Turkey since 1858, but to this day, the Turkish government still does not recognize LGBT marriages.

Government, LGBT, Same-sex Marriage

U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOWER COURT’S DECISION BANNING MARRIAGE FOR HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES

March 8, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – Everyone is so focused on the same-sex marriage case now before the U.S. Supreme Court that a recent high court decision on heterosexual marriage went practically unnoticed.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision by the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco banning the marriage of two heterosexual couples.

The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a gay couple challenging the marriage between the heterosexual couples in Alpine County, California. The county has a population of 1, 1775 (as of the 2010 census), making it the least populous county in the state.

In the lawsuit, Smith & Smith vs. Alipine County, the gay couple sought to invalidate the marriage licenses of two heterosexual couples who were married at Markleeville City Hall. The gay couple, John and Paul Smith (no blood relation), argued that the county cannot grant marriage licenses to the heterosexual couples because it does not extend the same right to gay couples. “It violates the state constitution, particularly the provision for equal rights and protection,” the lawsuit argued.

The gay couple won the lawsuit but the decision was challenged by the county, elevating the case to the 9th Circuit Court, which subsequently upheld the original local court decision. The county then filed an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 in favor of the gay couple. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsburg and Breyer to form the majority ruling. Roberts penned the decision.

While the LGBT community considers this a huge victory, it now means that all same-sex marriages will also be invalidated and banned until the Supreme Court issues a decision this summer on the pending case that would pave the way for federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments starting April 28, whether all 50 states must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, positioning it to resolve one of the great civil rights questions in a generation.

Film and TV, Same-sex Marriage

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS AND DAVID BURTKA TO RENEW MARRIAGE VOWS ON OSCAR NIGHT

February 6, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Harris, left, and Burtka (Photo credit: Instinctmagazine.com)

HOLLYWOOD, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Actors Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were married in a private ceremony in Italy last September after being together for 10 years. They have two kids.

On February 22, Oscar Night, Patrick, 41 and Burtka, 39 will renew their marriage vows in front of hundreds of witnesses at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and before millions of television viewers worldwide.

Patrick is this year’s Oscar host. The renewal of vows will immediately follow his opening monologue.

This is not the first time that a same-sex wedding will be officiated on live national (and international) TV. During last year’s Grammy’s, Queen Latifah officiated wedding vows to 33 couples, including same-sex partners. A performance by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Madonna provided the music background for the mass ceremony.

Patrick and Burtka have chosen John Travolta (of the “Adele Dazeem” fame at last year’s Oscars) to officiate the renewal of their wedding vows.

Let’s hope Travolta doesn’t mess up with David’s name and introduce him as Kurt Jabbar or some other gibberish.