Same-sex Weddings To Be Officiated By US National Cathedral

The Washington National Cathedral is a focal point of Christian worship in the United States. It has said that effective immediately, it will officiate same-sex weddings.

In a statement, its dean, Gary Hall, said the cathedral -- one of the biggest in the nation -- would marry gay and lesbian couples using a rite adapted from the Episcopal church's existing blessing ceremony.

Gay Marriage Case Sent to Top Judges By Taiwan
A Taiwanese court shrank away from ruling on a gay couple's wish to have their marriage registered. It said that it would pass on the controversial case to the island's top judicial body.

"We enthusiastically affirm each person as a beloved child of God, and doing so means including the full participation of gays and lesbians in the life of this spiritual home for the nation," he said.

Same-sex marriage is legal in nine US states and the District of Columbia, but banned in around 30 other states. Later this year, the US Supreme Court is to consider the federal government's refusal to recognize LGBT marriages.

President Barack Obama, who last year became the first serving president to openly support marriage equality, is to attend a national prayer service at the cathedral on January 22 as part of the inauguration of his second term.

On Legalization Of Gay Marriage France to Ban Words 'Mother, Father' from Official Documents
A ban on the usage of the words 'mother' and 'father' from all official documents is being planned by the French government under controversial plans to legalise gay marriage.

Source-AFP

France to Approve Gay Marriage Legislation on October 31
The French government has revealed that its ministers will be approving the draft law that legalizes gay marriage on October 31 even as opposition to the legislation mounts.

Two in Three Britons Support Gay Marriage
A new survey revealed that more than two thirds of Britons support reforms that could legalize gay marriage in the country.