Hopefull

[indigo]

Very soon the EU are hoping to pass a law which will recognize civil unions and marriage rights to every EU country, at the moment they are only validin the country you made your vows in France is giving us more and more rights, who'd havethought it several years ago.

[nandm]

Thank you for sharing about this. I am pleased to see progress being made for GLBT communities around the world.

When I look back over the past 30 years, I am pleasantly surprised to see how much progress that GLBT community has made with civil rights in many countries.

Personal examples of progress:

• At the age of 5, while in kindergarten (1970), my teacher wrote on my report card "You need to do something about ******. If you don't she will be one of "those people." It is obvious, since I was a tomboy, that she was referring to her concerns about my "becoming" gay. Ironically, my parents made me start wearing long dresses to school after that rather than the pants I was able to wear before. I hated that needlessly to say...lol Today, a teacher would not write that to a parent, because of the possiblity of a law suit. Small progress but still progress.
• Today, my partner is able to have me on her health insurance. Less than 10 years ago this would not have been allowed to happen.

Personal examples of inequality still present in our society:

• Married couples where my partner work have their family insurance costs covered by the company. My partner not only has to pay almost $200 a month to have me on her policy but is also taxed on that money each year
• Inequality in our tax system for gay couples
• Family has more rights to make health care decisions for my partner than I do
• There are more, although right now I can not think of them.....haven't had enough coffee...lol

[Anna]

Annie, that is good news.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada (where I live) in 2005 and it's such a positive step.