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==The Legalise Love Campaign==
==The Legalise Love Campaign==


A campaign to legalise same sex marriage in New Zealand was launched in August 2011<ref>http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_10752.php</ref><ref>http://www.legaliselove.org.nz</ref> and organised a protest at the [[New Zealand Parliament Buildings]] in October 2011.<ref>http://www.3news.co.nz/Pro-gay-marriage-protest-hits-Parliament/tabid/423/articleID/230233/Default.aspx</ref><ref>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10760505</ref> The [[New Zealand Labour Party]] and the [[Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand|Green Party]] have indicated support for marriage equality.
A campaign to legalise same sex marriage in New Zealand was launched in August 2011<ref>http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_10752.php</ref><ref>http://www.legaliselove.org.nz</ref> and organised a protest at the [[New Zealand Parliament Buildings]] in October 2011.<ref>http://www.3news.co.nz/Pro-gay-marriage-protest-hits-Parliament/tabid/423/articleID/230233/Default.aspx</ref><ref>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10760505</ref> The [[New Zealand Labour Party]] and the [[Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand|Green Party]] have indicated support for marriage equality. The campaign is not supported by the [[New Zealand National Party]] who retained power in the [[November 2011 general election|New Zealand general election, 2011]], gaining another three year term.


==Transsexuals==
==Transsexuals==

Revision as of 22:57, 29 November 2011

Part of the LGBT rights series
Marriage

Recognized

Civil unions and
registered partnerships
Minimal recognition
See also
Notes
  1. KoN: Performed in the Netherlands proper, including the Caribbean Netherlands. Registered in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten in such cases, but the rights of marriage are not guaranteed.
  2. NZ: Neither performed nor recognized in Niue, Tokelau, or the Cook Islands.
  3. UK: Neither performed nor recognized in six British Overseas Territories.
  4. US: Neither performed nor recognized in some tribal nations. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations and American Samoa.
  5. Israel: Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
  6. EU: The Coman v. Romania ruling of the European Court of Justice obliges the state to provide residency rights for the foreign spouses of EU citizens. Some member states, including Romania, do not follow the ruling.
  7. Cambodia: Recognition of a "declaration of family relationship", which may be useful in matters such as housing, but they are not legally binding.
  8. China: Guardianship agreements, conferring some limited legal benefits, including decisions about medical and personal care.
  9. HK: Inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
  10. India: Courts have recognised guru–shishya, nata pratha or maitri karar–type contractual relationships, but they are not legally binding.
  11. Japan: Some cities and prefectures issue partnership certificates, but they are not legally binding.
  12. Namibia: Marriages conducted abroad between a Namibian national and a foreign spouse recognized for residency rights.
  13. Romania: Hospital visitation rights through a "legal representative" status.
* Not yet in effect
LGBT portal

New Zealand does not currently allow same-sex marriages, but allows civil unions that provide virtually all the rights and responsibilities of marriage. However, there are no obstacles to prevent changes such as statutory prohibitions against same-sex marriages, as is the case with statutory and constitutional enactments within much of the United States, as well as Australia.

However, as for transsexuals who have undergone reassignment surgery, they are viewed as heterosexuals and can marry someone of the opposite sex to which they are now assigned.

During the 2005 election, Prime Minister Helen Clark stated that she thought it was discriminatory to exclude same-sex couples from the Marriage Act 1955, but said she would not push to change it.[1]

Failure of Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill - December 2005

In 2005, United Future Member of Parliament (MP) Gordon Copeland sponsored the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill that would have amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, and amend anti-discrimination protections in the Bill of Rights related to marital and family status so that the bill could stand. This move was strongly criticised by opponents of the legislation, such as then-Attorney General Michael Cullen as an overly 'radical' attack on the Bill of Rights.

The bill also would have prohibited the recognition of same-sex marriages from foreign countries as marriages in New Zealand. However, it was voted down by a large margin (47 in favour, 73 against) on December 7, 2005.[2][3]

The Legalise Love Campaign

A campaign to legalise same sex marriage in New Zealand was launched in August 2011[4][5] and organised a protest at the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in October 2011.[6][7] The New Zealand Labour Party and the Green Party have indicated support for marriage equality. The campaign is not supported by the New Zealand National Party who retained power in the New Zealand general election, 2011, gaining another three year term.

Transsexuals

If a post-operative transsexual marries someone of the opposite sex to the one that they had been reassigned to, that is considered a legal marriage under the Marriage Act 1955. This was decided by the M v H [1995] case in Otahuhu (Auckland)'s Family Court, and later upheld in New Zealand's Court of Appeal. This means that while pre-operative transpeople can contract civil unions, they cannot get married to a person of the gender opposite their gender identity, unlike their post-operative counterparts.[8]

Public opinion

A New Zealand Herald poll in 2004 found that 40% of New Zealanders supported same-sex marriages and 54% were against.[9] A Research New Zealand poll in 2011 found that 60% were in favour, and 34% against, with support at 79% among 18 - 34 year olds.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Act discriminatory, but no amendment
  2. ^ Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill
  3. ^ Marriage (Gender Clarification) Amendment Bill — First Reading
  4. ^ http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_10752.php
  5. ^ http://www.legaliselove.org.nz
  6. ^ http://www.3news.co.nz/Pro-gay-marriage-protest-hits-Parliament/tabid/423/articleID/230233/Default.aspx
  7. ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10760505
  8. ^ Marriage Act 1955
  9. ^ "Civil Union Bill: What the readers say". New Zealand Herald. 2004-10-05. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  10. ^ "RNZ Media Release: Same Sex Marriages" (PDF). Research New Zealand. 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
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