Government MP Tim Wilson and Ryan Bolger celebrated their “special day” on Sunday, the politician said online.

Australian MPs voted to legalise same-sex marriage in December.

Earlier that month, Mr Wilson had become the first MP to make a marriage proposal in the House of Representatives.

Mr Wilson and Mr Bolger, who have been together for more than a decade, were married in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

The MP’s tweet attracted messages of congratulations from parliamentarians and others on social media.

In his December speech, Mr Wilson was arguing for same-sex marriage when he turned to address Mr Bolger, who was sitting in the public gallery.

“In my first speech, I defined our bond by the ring that sits on both of our left hands. They [the rings] are the answer to the question we cannot ask,” an emotional Mr Wilson said.

“So there is only one thing left to do. Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me?”

Mr Bolger replied with a loud “yes”, prompting cheers and applause.

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Source: BBC

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A gay man from the West Midlands has become the first Muslim to wed in a same-sex marriage.

Jahed Choudhury, 24, grew up feeling ostracised by the Muslim community because he was gay and was even sent on a religious pilgrimage to change his sexual orientation.

Two years ago, following a lifetime of bullying, Mr Choudhury considered taking his own life until he was spotted crying on a town bench in Darlaston by Sean Rogan, 19.

The happy couple, pictured, met two years ago when Mr Choudhury, right, was considering ending his life when he was approached by Mr Rogan, left, who spoke to him on a bench

Two years later, Mr Choudhury, right, is believed to be the first Muslim man to have had a same-sex marriage in Britain and feels he is proof that it is okay to be both gay and a Muslim

Mr Rogan comforted Mr Choudhury and they soon became a couple. Now the couple have wed in a ceremony in Walsall, both wearing traditional Bangladeshi wedding clothes.

However,  the couple have been subjected to several death threats.

He said: ‘I want to say to all people going through the same thing that it’s okay – we’re going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim.’

At a low-key ceremony at Walsall registry office, Mr Choudhury from Darlaston, tied the knot in traditional Muslim attire with his partner of two years.

In what is seen as a cultural taboo for many traditional Muslims, Mr Choudhury is one of only a few openly-gay Muslim men and the first in the UK to marry another man.

Growing up with Bangladeshi parents and three siblings in a traditional Muslim household, Mr Choudhury recalls being the ‘black sheep’ of the family.

He is now looking forward to a happy life with Mr Rogan, who he first met while crying on a bench in Darlaston.

Mr Choudhury said: ‘I was crying on a bench and Sean came over and asked if I was okay. He gave me hope at one of my lowest points and he’s stood by me all the way.’

‘I stood out like a sore thumb – I never liked football, I preferred watching fashion shows on TV. I remember feeling trapped.’

He said: ‘It went all over school, people would spit on me, empty the rubbish bins on me, call me pig and the Muslim people would shout “harum” – which is a very nasty insult in my language.’

A period of trying to change his sexual orientation consisted of him having a girlfriend, changing his social circle, taking medication and even going on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

According to Mr Choudhury the situation only got worse – he was assaulted by fellow Muslims in the street where he lived and a homophobic slur was sprayed on his front door.

The mosque he’d been attending for the past 15 years no longer allowed him in and he was physically attacked by other Muslim boys. Feeling ostracised, Mr Choudhury attempted to kill himself.

Mr Choudhury said: ‘I’d been viciously attacked by Muslim boys, my mosque told me non-Muslims were not allowed in.

‘I tried killing myself and I then met Sean. The housing association got us a house in a week and we’ve been living together ever since. I proposed on Sean’s birthday last June.’

Following their wedding in Walsall, the happy couple are jetting to Spain on honeymoon

Mr Choudhury says he has post-traumatic stress disorder meaning he struggles to face people alone and can’t work.

But now he has taken a significant step forward for both the Muslim and LGBT communities.

He added: ‘We’re going to have a big party in Darlaston afterwards and go to Spain for a week on holiday.’

The ceremony was attended by both families and friends.

Mr Choudhury’s mother, sister, older brother and cousin witnessed the wedding, as did Mr Rogan’s mother, two sisters and older brother.

Mr Choudhury said: ‘My mum has always been so supportive. Without her I would not be here today.

‘It was lovely for both out families to be there. We get on really well.

‘It was just close friends and family who were invited as I did not want a big wedding.

‘It was just perfect the way it was.’

Mr Rogan agreed to Mr Choudhury’s request to wear traditional Bangladeshi wedding outfits.

Mr Choudhury also revealed that Mr Rogan is considering converting to Islam, but that the couple would struggle to find a mosque.

He said: ‘The outfits are traditional Muslim-Bangladeshi outfits. Everyone wears them for a wedding at home.

‘I told Sean I thought it would be very nice to wear them and he agreed.

‘Also, they look very pretty.

‘Sean is considering converting to Islam. I asked him if he would on my behalf.

‘We would not be able to find a place of worship however. We would not be welcomed by any mosques.

‘I have heard about the liberal mosque in Berlin that opened recently where they are a lot less traditional.

‘It sounds fantastic. I really want to visit, and wish we could have somewhere like that here.’

The newlyweds also revealed that they have received a number of death threats since the wedding, but they remain determined to ignore them after their special day.

Mr Choudhury said: ‘We have had death threats against us and our families. People telling me they are going to kill me and that I should never have been born. They are really vile, horrible comments.

‘But we are so happy we are able to just brush them off. We’ve had an awful lot of support too.’

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The reform grants couples now limited to civil unions full marital rights, and allows them to adopt children.

Mrs Merkel’s political opponents were strongly in favour. But the chancellor, who signalled her backing for a free vote only on Monday, voted against.

The bill was backed by 393 lawmakers, 226 voted against and four abstained.

The German legal code will now read: “Marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex”, AFP news agency reported.

Following Friday’s vote, Mrs Merkel said that for her marriage was between a man and a woman. But she said she hoped the passing of the bill would lead to more “social cohesion and peace”.

Does same-sex marriage have popular support?

Yes – a recent survey by the government’s anti-discrimination agency found that 83% of Germans were in favour of marriage equality.

The day after the Republic of Ireland voted to legalise gay marriage in May 2015, almost every German newspaper splashed a rainbow across its front page.

“It’s time, Mrs Merkel” Green party leader Katrin Goering-Eckhart said then. “The Merkel faction cannot just sit out the debate on marriage for everyone.”

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The reform would give gay men and lesbians full marital rights, and allow them to adopt children.

At present, German same-sex couples are limited to civil unions.

On Monday Mrs Merkel, who previously opposed a vote on gay marriage, said she would allow MPs from her CDU party to “follow their conscience”.

How did Merkel prompt the vote?

During her 2013 election campaign, Angela Merkel argued against gay marriage on the grounds of “children’s welfare,” and admitted that she had a “hard time” with the issue.

But at an event hosted by the women’s magazine “Brigitte” on 26 June, she shocked the German media by announcing on stage that she had noted other parties’ support for it, and would allow a free vote in the future.

The usually-cautious chancellor said she had had a “life-changing experience” in her home constituency, where she had dinner with a lesbian couple who cared for eight foster children together.

As the news spread on Twitter, supporters rallied under the hashtag #EheFuerAlle (MarriageForAll) – and started calling for a vote as soon as possible.

Will the vote pass?

Yes, with strong cross-party support it is expected to.

A recent survey by the government’s anti-discrimination agency found that 83% of Germans are in favour of marriage equality.

The day after the Republic of Ireland voted to legalise gay marriage in May 2015, almost every German newspaper splashed a rainbow across its front page.

“It’s time, Mrs Merkel” Green party leader Katrin Goering-Eckhart exclaimed then. “The Merkel faction cannot just sit out the debate on marriage for everyone.”

Why is this happening now?

Because of an upcoming general election.

Germans go to the polls on 24 September, and the sudden Merkel turnaround will deprive her opponents of a campaign issue.

The Greens, the far-left Linke, and the pro-business Free Democrats all back same-sex marriage. In fact, they have refused to enter a future coalition deal unless reform is agreed on.

Mrs Merkel’s current coalition partners – the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) – have done the same.

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now the only party to oppose same-sex marriage.

Conservatives within Mrs Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), are against a change in the law, however.

They have argued that a gay marriage bill would require a change to the constitution, and that marriage between a man and a woman should enjoy special protection.

The CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has also expressed opposition.

Its members champion “traditional” families – and pragmatist Mrs Merkel needs their votes in the September election.

Commentators say this partly explains why she has rejected a vote on marriage equality until now.

How did Merkel’s opponents react?

Amid a groundswell of public support for a vote, Mrs Merkel’s rivals have moved to capitalise politically.

A day after her comments, the SDP’s candidate for the chancellorship Martin Schulz declared – “we will take her at her word,” and called for an immediate vote.

The Greens and Linke promptly backed the prospect.

The CDU responded by condemning the SDP, its coalition partner, for its “breach of trust” after four years of joint rule.

The angry exchange came just days after Mr Schulz angered conservatives by accusing Mrs Merkel of an “attack on democracy”, saying she was deliberately making politics boring so that opposition supporters wouldn’t bother to vote.

Has the vote been politicised?

On Wednesday, Mrs Merkel branded the political dispute “totally unnecessary” in an interview with business weekly Wirtschafts Woche (in German)..

“This isn’t about some legislative footnote, but… a decision that touches on people’s deepest convictions and on marriage, a cornerstone of our society”, she said.

Die Welt, a German national daily agreed.

“This could have been a great moment for Germany’s parliament. But the CDU/CSU have been forced into a corner and all the joy has been drained,” it wrote.

Where else in Europe has same-sex marriage?

A host of European countries have beaten Germany to a same-sex marriage law.

Civil marriages are legally recognised in Norway, Sweden, Denmark (excluding the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, France, the UK (except Northern Ireland and Jersey), and the Republic of Ireland.

But in Austria and Italy – as in Germany – gay couples are restricted to civil partnerships.

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Source: BBC

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Earlier reports alleged that Archbishop had been banned from entering the US after he condemned and refused to officiate a gay wedding.

The Archbishop was quoted as saying gay marriage is “a sin against Bible teachings”.

The reports, further alleged that the State Department condemned him, following his stance.

But the US Embassy in a tweet said “reports that Archbishop had been banned from travelling to the United States are a complete fabrication.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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