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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
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Tory MP Nadine Dorries: 'The gay marriage bill is taking the sex out of marriage'
89
London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
86
Government to consider abolishing civil partnerships or opening up to straight couples
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Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
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Bret Easton Ellis slams GLAAD and says gay basketball player Jason Collins treated like a 'baby panda'
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US Radio host: Gay news websites are covered with porn that is turning teens gay
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Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather tells Catholic newspaper 'I never went into politics to tackle equal marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: 'I'm not anti-gay; I'm just pro-marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: I only want a referendum on same-sex marriage so I can defeat the government's bill
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Robert in S. Kensington 861
Eddy 382
Jock S. Trap 292
bobbleobble 260
D.McCabe 243
Rehan 220
rapture 189
Ray123 188
Midnighter 177
SteveC 172
I believe the Foreign Minister of the German Republic is gay, so they seem to have no problem with that. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Westerwelle#Personal_life
And the mayor of Berlin? I think he’s openly gay also.
Yet again only negative reporting.
If 26% are against surely that means that the majority of the 74% left support a Gay Chancellor.
Seriously Isn’t that really the GOOD news here. Why only report negative?
It’s not needed and people are clearly more intelligent that the media gives credit for.
I agree, whilst reports should be balanced, why the need to be so negative? The Christian Institute goes the other way, it’s report of a Sun on Sunday poll failed to mention a majority backed gay marriage. Perhaps that’s why the anti-gay marriage lobby have the initiative in giving misleading information.
The writer of this article has perhaps either failed to give all the data or she is confused regarding the fitures.
In the body of the article we are told 14% liked the idea of a gay Chancellor, and 46% said it wouldn’t matter. So that’s 60% in favour. The headline, however, tells us that 26% would not back a gay Chancellor.
So what was the opinion of the missing 14%?
This article needs alteration.
the fitures???? She may be confused regarding the FIGURES!
the fitures were also wrong
well said Jock
Dumb reporting approach to this story
That may be the case with regard to Westerwelle and Roesler, but quite evidently there is a link to sexual orientation and ethnicity in the broader view of the article since that’s what the YouGov poll was about.
Nevertheless I agree with the others that the emphasis on the intolerant minority in this article without any balance is odd. I’d have thought that these figures show Germany in a very favourable light compared to most countries. It’d be interesting to see how other supposedly enlightened countries fared.
I think, Germans are too much talking about openly gay men in power positions (like Foreign Minister Westerwelle or Mayor of Berlin Wowereit – as it was only prove, how tolerant this country is), and too many – about same-sex marriage, for example, or discrimination. All last decade most popular homosexual thematic in the German medias was: openly gay men in football – or they exist, or no, who they are, etc. And many gay activists has playing this game too, at the cost of other issues. The price: an absolutely majority of Germans are thinking until now, that same-sex marriage is legal in Germany since 2001, but no, it is not.
Georg, do you think that the passing of Ratzinger will make a difference to the German government’s support for Equal Marriage for gay people?
Not for this government, no. Our only hope is: coalition between Socialist party SPD (they have gay marriage in they political program since December 2011) and the Greens, most gay friendly political party in Germany. Red-Green have already an absolutely majority in the Upper House of German parliament, Bundesrat, since victory of Red-Green coalition in Lower Saxony on January 20 (this new local government in Hannover will come in power on February 19). Now we need an majority in the Lower House, Bundestag, too. Elections are setting on September 22 – but, sadly, an ‘Great Coalition’ between Christian Democrats, CDU, and SPD with Merkel as Chancellor looks more realistic (or even an CDU government only – it will be horror!) – what means nothing good for gay rights here (German Socialists are a little less pro-gay as French or British Labor are, its very complex and opportunistic party). Ironic, even theoretic coalition between CDU and Greens (as junior partner)
Could the FDP make difference ??? (If they make it in the Bundestag like they did in Niedersachsen)
Free Liberal Party is pro-gay only on the paper, perhaps theoretic support for same-sex marriage. They have do absolutely nothing for us in this last four years, what was written in the threat of coalition 2009: equal rights by taxation, pensions, social security – all this has (or will) became a reality only thanks Constitutional Court, and not weak junior partner in the ruling Black-Yellow coalition. And every time, as left opposition in Bundestag has propose some piece of law in favor of gay couples, our ‘Liberals’ (by name only) has voted very united with Christian Democrats against it, for last time – in June 2012, as Socialists, Greens and Left Party have propose same-sex marriage bill. If at least half of Liberals in the parliament has be vote then for it, or even with abstention or all of them simple not participate in the vote (as Mr. Westerwelle did), we have be marriage equality in country of Bach, Kant and Goethe already now.
will be an better solution for us: Greens are very clear and strong in favor of gay marriage, and Socialists – more on the paper, as demonstration of support for potential partners, the Greens. Anyway, our biggest trust in the current situation still is Constitutional Court of German Federal Republic (in Karslruhe, Baden-Wurtemberg). All decisions of this Court in the last years (2009, 2010 and 2012) was in favor of expansion of inheritance and pension rights in same-sex civil partnerships, and two decisions are looking of us this year too: on February 19 – decision on ‘successiv adoption’, and later this year – on tax privileges for gay couples (‘Ehegattensplitting’ – its complicated system of much lower taxes for married couples here since times of Adenauer). If this last decision will be pro-gay (and all commentators agree, that it will), then gay marriage or at least equal rights for gay couples in civil partnerships will became important issue in the election campaign.
Any hope for a change of heart from the CDU ????
No. Not now, not in the near future. Last December Christian Democrats of Germany have vote by solid margin (ca. 60%) in party conference in Hannover against tax privileges for same-sex couples. Gay adoption or status of ‘marriage’ still is for them out of question.
Thanks for all of that information Georg. I note you say that a Christian Democrat government would “a horror”. What have they demonstrated recently that makes you feel this? (I’m not asking because I disbelieve you for a minute: rather I would genuinely like to know what their actual track record has been, though I realise it may have been limited to statements.)
Last August Constitutional Court has made two decisions in favor of same-sex couples: equal rights for gay partners, who are working in state sector (‘Beamtenrecht’); and equal exemptions from taxes by buying real property as for married couples too (‘Grundstueckerwerbsteuer’). What has following then, was the biggest public discussions about gay rights here in Germany for many years. As for Christian Democrats, it has became summer of hate. I personally and many others are very surprised, how strong homophobia in the CDU still is: every day some another member from this party has expressed negative opinion on gay rights. It was like competition of political-religious homophobia, in strange style of Darwin: ‘future of Germany is family, not gays’, ‘gays threatens our society’, ‘they are useless as individuals’ etc. Later this year, after next two important decisions of Constitutional Court on gay rights, same scenario will happen too, I suspect – as part of election campaign.
It is similar in France – only the left would introduce the gay marriage. The vehemence and mechantesse of the right has put me off voting for them – so that I will be unlikely to vote at the next Presidentielle or assemblé elections.
But then, in France, over 200,000 straight couples opt for civil partnership PACS (as would I even with the mariage homosexuel) due to it being more modern and equal between the persons in the relationship.
Just wondering what the percentage against a woman chancellor is/was. I suspect you would get much the same result. A very oddly constructed article indeed. Was it originally intended for the Daily Mail?
Why isn’t this article talking about the 41% who don’t mean either way…?