2006 in gay rights

LGBT rights

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Same-sex relationships

Opposition · Persecution

Violence

See also: 2005 in gay rights, other events of 2006, 2007 in gay rights and theTimeline of LGBT history

Events

January

• January 1
  • Serbia, Kosovo and Vojvodina equalised age of consent law to 14 for all.
  • Anti-discrimination laws:
    • California: New laws go into affect that protect transgender individuals from discrimination.
    • Illinois: New state law prohibitting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation goes into effect.
  • Washington: New mayor of Spokane sworn in to succeed James E. West, who was recalled after an Internet gay porn scandal.
• January 24
  • Ireland: Report of Oireachtas committee recommending Civil Unions is launched by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
• January 26
  • Czech Republic: Bill on Civil Unions is approved by the Senate 65-14
• January 27
  • Washington: State legislators pass a bill banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It passes with a 25-23 vote in the state Senate and by a 61-37 vote in the state House of Representatives. Washington governor Christine Gregoire says she will sign the bill into law on January 31.

March

• March 4 - The 28th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held in Australia.

April

• April 2
  • Canada: Lionel Ketola becomes the first noncelibate gay person named vicar (intern) of an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada congregation.

May

• May 27
  • Moscow: An attempt to stage the first-ever gay pride march in Moscow ended with violence and mass arrests, after activists took to the streets despite the ban by mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
• Kyle Hawkins becomes first openly gay male coach of a men's team at the college level (lacrosse).

June

• June 5
  • United States: President George W. Bush renews his call for passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment.
• June 7
  • United States: The Federal Marriage Amendment failed to pass the Senate. Of the 60 votes required to invoke the cloture motion, 49 senators voted for putting the amendment to vote and 48 voted against.
• June 22
  • The first regional Eastern European Pride is held in Zagreb, Croatia, with participants coming from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania.
• June 29
  • United States: Arkansas Supreme Court confirm a lower state court judgement allowing that it is unconstitutional to restrict foster care to heterosexuals.

July

• July 1
  • Czech Republic: Bill on Civil Unions goes into effect with rights all but equal to marriage.
• July 6
  • Canada: The Biennial Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada's Eastern Synod votes to permit a "local option" for the blessing of same-sex unions, triggering a dispute between the synod and the national church over where authority for such a decision lies.
• July 23
  • Slovenia: Bill on Civil Unions goes into effect.
• July 26-August 6: the 1st World Outgames takes place in Montreal, including the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights from July 26 to 29.
• July 29: the Declaration of Montreal on LGBT Human Rights is issued by the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights and presented at the opening ceremony of the Outgames.

August

September

• September 17
  • Germany: Berlin's mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who is openly gay, wins re-election.
• September 19
  • The National Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada rules that the Eastern Synod lacks the authority to permit a local option of blessing same-gender unions. However, it also promises to bring a motion authorising the local option to the denomination's National Convention in 2007. ^[1]
• September 29
  • The Anglican Journal reports that the Most Rev. Terence Finlay, retired Archbishop of Toronto and Metropolitan of Ontario, has solemnised the marriage of a lesbian couple, and that Finlay's successor, the Rt. Rev. Colin Johnson, has suspended his licence to conduct weddings. ^[2]

October

• October 25
  • United States: New Jersey's State Supreme Court rules in a 4-3 decision that the state constitution guarantees same-sex couples all the legal benifits of a marriage, but does not explicitly legalize gay marriage in the state. ^[3]

November

• November 6-November 8
  • The Eastern Synod Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada reaffirms (contradicting a National Church Council decision) the Synod's authority to authorise a local option for same-sex blessings, but agrees that it is "prudent" not to implement the authorisation.

December

• Same-sex marriage law comes into force for South Africa (form 1 December 2006). See Gay rights in South Africa.
• Age of consent law comes into force (from 1 December 2006) now equalised in Jersey and Isle of Man from 18 to 16 for male-male sex. See [1]

References

1. ^ http://www.elcic.ca/WebSite/ELCICInfo.nsf/infoview/E56B87F38DE646FA862571EE007077EB?OpenDocument
2. ^ http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/archbishop-disciplined-for-performing-same-sex-marriage
3. ^ http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=20695

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