GAY TRUTH

An Israeli court has awarded the country's first divorce to a gay couple, which experts called an ironic milestone since same-sex marriages cannot be legally conducted in the Jewish state . A decision this week by a family court in the Tel Aviv area "determined that the marriage should be ended" between former Israeli lawmaker Uzi Even , 72, and his partner of 23 years, Amit Kama, 52, their lawyer, Judith Meisels, said on Tuesday. Legal experts see the ruling as a precedent in the realm of gay rights in a country where conservative family traditions are strong and religious courts oversee ceremonies like marriages, divorces and burials. While Israel's Interior Ministry still has the power to try and veto the decision, it would likely have to go court in order to do so, Meisels said. A 2006 high court decision forced the same ministry, headed by an ultra-Orthodox cabinet member, to recognize same-sex marriages performed abroad and ordered the government to list

Image via Wikipedia Polish registry offices announced recently that the Ministry of Interior would issue new certificates that will effectively allow homosexual couples to “marry” outside the country; however, gay “ marriages ” will still not be recognized within Poland . Polish registry offices issue a type of certificate that is required by all couples intending to marry outside the country.   The application currently requires identification of both future spouses and, until now, offices could refuse to issue the certificate to same-sex couples. With the new certificate, identification of the future spouse is not required, effectively permitting same-sex couples to apply and “marry” in other European countries, such as the UK , Spain, and the Netherlands , where gay “marriage” is legal.  “Work is already underway and there will be a new type of certificate without the section concerning future spouses,” Ministry spokeswoman Małgorzata Woźniak told the  Gazeta Wyborcza daily .