international

Delays, bureaucracy, inconsistency, and injustice make the U.S. immigration system a nightmare for millions. Debate over the system is intensifying.

Immigration Equality collaborated with Human Rights Watch to research, write, and publish a study about the fate of binational same-sex couples under U.S. law.

Costa Rican lawmakers proposed legalizing same-sex civil unions in a bill introduced on Tuesday, but said it may be difficult to pass the plan in the strongly Roman Catholic country.

Under the proposal, same-sex couples would be granted marital-type rights like bereavement leave, inheritance and power over medical decisions. It stops short of recognizing same-sex marriage or allowing adoption by same-sex couples.

CONTINUED FROM A PREVIOUS STORY

A landmark gay rights bill passed by Colombia's Congress last week was thrown out when a group of senators used a procedural vote to change their minds.

The bill, backed by President Alvaro Uribe but opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, would grant gay couples living together for more than two years the same social security and estate inheritance guarantees as heterosexuals in common-law marriages.

It would have been the first nationwide law of its kind in Latin America.

That's the message behind a new Tourism Toronto campaign marketing the city as one of the world's top destinations for gays and lesbians.

As any marketer knows, gays are "high-value" travellers. Worldwide, the gay travel market is a $55-billion industry.

Colombia's Congress voted to recognize gay unions, approving a bill to give same-sex couples full rights to health insurance, social security and inheritance benefits. The measure would make Colombia the first country in Latin America to extend such rights to gay couples, a prospect celebrated by gay rights advocates from Buenos Aires to New York.

Although everyone's identities are still anonymous, the new dads and baby are doing very well. The couple was approved to adopt about three years ago. And the adoption has been called "groundbreaking" by the state government.

Western Australia Attorney-General Jim McGinty said the child's best interests were considered.

Family Equality Council has organized a national speakers bureau for family equality called OUTSpoken. Over 800 people in 39 states and 3 countries have signed on to be OUTSpoken. OUTSpoken members have made the commitment to speak about the need for full family equality at least 8 times per year in their community. Opportunities to speak could occur over Thanksgiving dinner, church gatherings, or town hall forums.