Hashtag: #DomesticPartnershipBill2017
Same Sex Marriage Legal Challenge Continues
[Written by Don Burgess] The case against the Domestic Partnership Act began in Supreme Court this week in front of Chief Justice Dr Ian Kawaley. The gallery of the courtroom had more than a dozen onlookers who heard Mark Pettingill argue that for people whose orientation is gay and “I want to marry a man and this proposed law destroys that dream.” Mr... Read more of this article
Same Sex Marriage Legal Challenge Underway
[Updated] The ‘Roderick Ferguson et al vs the Attorney General’ legal matter is listed on the Court schedule to begin today [May 21], with the case set to challenge the Domestic Partnership Act. Same sex marriage was initially legalised in Bermuda following a Supreme Court decision in May 2017, with Greg DeRoche and Winston Godwin successfully... Read more of this article
OUTBermuda Advocate Speaks With HRC
The US-based Human Rights Campaign recently interviewed OUTBermuda Board of Directors Deputy Chairperson Zakiya Johnson Lord about their campaign. In the interview Zakiya Johnson Lord said, “OUTBermuda began because many LGBTQ Bermudians–myself included–who were partnered with non-Bermudians experienced discrimination. We wanted to highlight... Read more of this article
BBC Release Documentary On SSM In Bermuda
A BBC documentary titled “Bermuda’s Change of Heart” explores the island’s laws on same sex marriage, calling the repeal “a radical change of events.” The documentary’s description says, “In a radical turn of events – Bermuda has become the first country in the world to repeal same-sex marriage. “In... Read more of this article
Kevin Dallas On SSM, LGBTQ Travel & More
Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas has given a wide ranging interview to the Gay Star News website, telling them that “as a gay Bermudian, I feel pretty lucky to have been born here,” and “despite this more recent setback, Bermuda’s track record on advancing LGBT rights in the last 20 years is pretty good.” The Tourism... Read more of this article
Video: CNN Interview Zakiya Johnson Lord
OUTBermuda’s Zakiya Johnson Lord recently appeared on the CNN programme ‘Quest Means Business’, discussing the organisation’s lawsuit challenging the Domestic Partnership Act. OUTBermuda and Maryellen Jackson filed legal action in the Bermuda Supreme Court seeking an order declaring that provisions that “have the effect of... Read more of this article
Carnival Supporting New SSM Legal Action
OUTBermuda and Maryellen Jackson have filed legal action in the Bermuda Supreme Court seeking an order declaring that provisions that “have the effect of revoking same-sex marriage” are in contravention of the Bermuda Constitution, with the local legal action — which marks the second filed about the matter — being supported... Read more of this article
Video: Boris Johnson On Bermuda & DPA Bill
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had a “long conversation with the Premier of Bermuda” about same sex marriage. This was stated as Mr Johnson responded to a question from British MP Chris Bryant, who has been an outspoken critic of the Domestic Partnership Act, bringing it up multiple times in both British Parliament and... Read more of this article
Ellen DeGeneres: ‘I Guess I’m Canceling My Trip’
Television host Ellen DeGeneres — who has one of the most followed Twitter accounts in the world with 77 million followers — has tweeted about Bermuda’s same sex marriage legislation, saying “I guess I’m canceling my trip.” The tweet — which was posted this evening and as 15,000 likes/retweets/comments as of this... Read more of this article
Rainbow: “Shocked At Contradictory Comments”
The Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda said they are “shocked at the contradictory comments made in the House of Assembly regarding attracting more LGBTQ tourism” adding that they advocate for an intersectional approach to equality and “both the Government and Opposition have failed in this regard.” Their comments follow after discussion... Read more of this article
Audio: Minister Simmons On LGBTQ Tourism
When it comes to the “controversy surrounding Domestic Partnership Bill, when you compare Bermuda to many of the destinations in the Caribbean, Bermuda is far in advance of many of our competitors,” Minister of Economic Development and Tourism Jamahl Simmons said, adding that “the message that we will continue to push is that Bermuda... Read more of this article
Column: ‘Will Not Accept Anything But Equality’
[Opinion column written by Kirkland Hamill] When Bermuda repealed the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision, I wrote an op-ed in The Advocate about not coming back to the island until it was repealed and marriage reinstated. Some people thought that was extreme, and counter-productive, and would end up potentially punishing the people I wanted... Read more of this article
SSM/Partnerships Policy Takes Effect On June 1
The Domestic Partnerships Act is set to take effect on June 1st of this year, Home Affairs Minister Walton Brown said today, adding that this means “same sex couples can get married in Bermuda until May 31, 2018.” In delivering a budget brief in the House of Assembly today, Minister Brown said, “The Department is also readying itself... Read more of this article
UK Minister Answers Questions About Bermuda
Bermuda’s Domestic Partnership Act legislation continues to be a topic of discussion in British Parliament, with the Minister of State responding to questions from a Labour MP. Labour MP Catherine West asked the Minister of State “what recent assessment his Department has made of the status of LGBT+ rights in Bermuda” and “what... Read more of this article
‘SSM Ban Violates AGU Location Requirements’
The Geoscience & Society Summit was scheduled to be held in Bermuda in September, however the organisers said as a result of the Domestic Partnerships Act, “Bermuda no longer meets AGU’s meeting location requirements” and they “are evaluating the options for relocating.” A statement on the organisation’s website under... Read more of this article
U.S. LGBTIQ Group: ‘Don’t Boycott Bermuda’
The US-based LGBTIQ rights group OutRight Action International said a “misguided reaction is unfolding” to Bermuda’s recent legislation, and have called for people to not boycott Bermuda, saying the “campaign stands to hurt rather than help” and have called for people to “instead learn how to empower local organizations... Read more of this article
