Australia's Finance Minister announced the pregnancy of her
female partner in August - reigniting debates on the legalisation
of gay marriage in Australia.
Penny Wong (pictured) released a statement saying that she and
her partner, Sophie Allouache, are expecting their first child.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard took the opportunity to reaffirm her
stance against legalising gay marriage.
"Penny Wong is a colleague of mine, she's also a very long-term
friend," she said. "So I'm very pleased for Penny and her partner
Sophie as they look forward to a new baby and the next phase of
their lives.
"Clearly there are strong views about same-sex marriage in the
community. I've made my views clear."
Also, leading gay and lesbian bookshop Gay's The Word was damaged
in the on-going London riots, this month. The long-standing store
was the latest gay business to be affected by the troubles - and
was considered a target for a second attack. The news surfaced
after PinkPaper.com exclusively reported that Peccadillo Pictures
lost virtually all of its stock during a warehouse blaze in
Enfield.
Nearly sixty lesbian couples planned to marry simultaneously in
Taiwan's biggest mass wedding, in August. Around 1,000 people
purchased tickets for the private event, which took place at an
overnight party in Taipei with visitors from China, Thailand and
the US.
