The Himalayan Times reports that an American couple recently became the first lesbians to get married in Asia when they held their wedding in the tiny kingdom of Nepal. Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to draft a same-sex marriage law in 2008, but the government has yet to introduce legislation, so same-sex relationships there remain in limbo — although they’re much closer to recognition than anywhere else in Asia.
Meanwhile, in the United States, New York prepares for an expected vote on same-sex marriage in the state senate on June 22. Will it pass? No one’s sure yet, but Governor Cuomo believes he has the votes.
Perhaps to nudge the New York vote along, a New Jersey Republican senator has issued a public apology for voting against same-sex marriage when it last came up in that state in 2009. That vote wasn’t very close, so it’s not rewriting history, and the current governor has promised to veto it if it came to him in a bill anyway.
And over in Minnesota, the state legislature has moved forward on legislation to ban the state from offering spousal benefits to unmarried partners of its employees, including (consequently) all same-sex partners. And the Minnesota Daily has published a thoughtful letter pointing out that gays are forced to pay punitive “gay taxes” in the US because of denial of marital benefits.
And the sports world offers two contrasting responses to the onward march of queer rights in America. Former New York Giants wide receiver (stop snickering) David Tyree has publicly come out against gay marriage, telling reporters he would trade his Superbowl ring if it meant keeping gay marriage out of New York and saying that same-sex marriage would lead to “anarchy.”
But the Chicago Cubs are taking a bold stance in support of gay rights, releasing their own It Gets Better video to encourage their young queer fans.
Why you can trust Xtra
