Fridae

Japanese-American actor George Takei best known for his portrayal of Mr Sulu in the Star Trek television and film series, has married his longtime partner on Sunday.

Senator Louise Pratt has called for gay marriage to be legalised, challenging party leader and PM Kevin Rudd, who had recently pushed the ACT government to scrap its bid for civil union and gay marriage laws on the grounds the arrangement mimicked marriage.

Norway has become the sixth country in the world after the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, South Africa and Spain to legalise same-sex marriage.

The Australian Capital Territory's hopes of being the first state to legally recognise same-sex civil union ceremonies have been snuffed out after the Rudd Government announced on Sunday that it would override the planned laws despite earlier promises that it would not use it powers to do so.

Do it in a (wet) suit! Same-sex couples are now welcome to join the world famous underwater wedding festival in Trang, Thailand, next year.

Gay activists in Australia organise rallies nationwide to protest year-old Marriage Amendment Act which defines marriage as strictly heterosexual. Meanwhile, South Australian MP Mark Brindal has officially withdrawn from the March state election after it was revealed he was secretly bisexual; and more.

Canada has become the fourth nation - after Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain - to grant full legal rights to same-sex couples after a landmark bill was signed into law.

Gays and lesbians in Hong Kong will be covered by sexual orientation discrimination legislation sooner rather than later if a survey to be conducted by early next year indicates more than 50 per cent of the public supports such a law. Tim Cribb reports.