Over the last few years, the world has made significant progress in terms of LGBTQ rights. Marriage equality now exists in over 20 countries, transgender people can now legally change their genders in many places, and some nations are beginning to formally recognize individuals who identify as neither male nor female. Most recently, Australia voted 'Yes' in a country-wide referendum to legalize same-sex marriage, following in the footsteps the USA, UK, and a great deal of Europe. But some people have been waiting longer for the reform than others. 89-year-old John Challis and 85-year-old Arthur Cheeseman have been a couple for fifty years, and first got together when homosexuality was still considered a criminal activity in Oz. Their relationship has seen the introduction of adoption rights for gay couples, the establishment of discrimination laws to protect queer people's livelihoods, and a change in the age of consent to match that of heterosexual couples. And now, after half a century of witnessing progress that they probably never believed would be possible, the men can finally become a married couple. When interviewed about their thoughts on the 'yes' decision, the couple revealed their plans to wed. “Yes we are [planning to marry],” said Cheeseman, a retired pharmacist. “Just very quietly… Very simple. That’s it," added Challis. "I have got a 90^th birthday coming up next year. We might combine it with that.” They said that they'd either go to a nearby registry office in order to tie the knot, or perhaps have a civil celebrant come to the house in order to make their union official. Either way, they insist they will exercise their new marriage rights - but “not with any fuss”. The vote to legalize same-sex marriage was confirmed earlier this week after 61.6 per cent of citizens voted to allow queer individuals the same basic rights as straight people. And, though some of the debate leading up to the result was pretty fierce, the celebration of the outcome has been widespread. Pictures show thousands of people taking to the streets to celebrate in rainbow-colored attire, and the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has spoken out in support of the motion. “Australians have shown they are committed to a fair go,” said Turnbull. “They’ve said yes to commitment. They’ve said yes to marriage equality. And they’ve said yes to love. And they’ve said to the parliament ‘get on with it, get this done’.” Many celebrities also took to Twitter in order to express their joy at the result. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kylieminogue/status/930575352681910272]] Unfortunately, the decision still faces opposition from the Australian parliament, and within hours of the 'yes' vote, new legislation was introduced that would make exemptions for religious leaders who do not want to perform same-sex marriages. Despite this, the octogenarian couple are still ecstatic about the vote. “It is not just endorsing gay marriage – it is endorsing gay and lesbian people,” said Cheeseman. “It gives us a new dignity, a new status, a new place in society. We are the same as everyone else.” As for the 38.4 per cent of people that voted 'no', hopefully the introduction of marriage equality will show them that there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, and that loving another human being shouldn't be a crime.

Finally, after months and months of organising a stupidly expensive non-compulsory and non-binding public vote about sex-sex marriage that ignited some horrible hate speech and proved what everyone knew already – that the public was for it – Australian parliament announced that same-sex couples would be allowed to legally marry. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AMEquality/status/938661842641043456]] After announcing the news on December 7, the general public broke out into new rainbow-flag-waving cheers of joy, Kylie Minogue celebrated via a great When Harry Met Sally gif, and politicians in the Australian Parliment (save a few miserable conservatives) began singing a delightful rendition of "We Are Australian". [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/i/web/status/938680674852020224]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kylieminogue/status/938667522399731712]] Same-sex couples everywhere must be feeling a sense of huge relief, not to mention a bit of emotional exhaustion after the trauma the debates of the last few months have inflicted. People have been popping the question left right and centre, but this couple takes the cake. Neville Wills and his partner Ian Fenwicke have been together an astonishing 39 years, having met for the first time at a luncheon in 1978. And it's only now, at the ripe old age of 98, that Neville finally has the opportunity to marry the love of his life. "I think it's marvellous," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I'm glad I've lived this long to see it. We can be legitimate after today." Ian, 74, said back in 1978 marriage was something "you just wouldn't imagine". The two said they've lived without much discrimination and hate, but they're in much higher spirits now that they can finally bind their lifelong partnership with marriage. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/smh/status/938898526205079554]] "It has been a long road and it's just astounding that it has finally been achieved," he said. "But it's disappointing that we've been so slow compared to most other advanced democratic countries." Neville worked as a university professor and Ian as a commercial accountant. The two even got a special mention in parliament by the Liberal Party's Trent Zimmerman, who spoke on the bill and told the chamber of the pair's relationship. "They have loved, honoured, comforted and protected each other and will do so as long as they both shall live," he told the chamber. "Their hopes and aspirations reflect the importance of marriage in our society for so many people yet denied to some simply because of their sexuality." But now, finally, they can tie the knot. Neville and Ian are planning a quiet wedding surrounded by 20 or so loved ones at a friend's apartment in Sydney. Neville, who describes himself as the "ancient part" of the pair, said he's looking forward to a "jolly nice cocktail hour" after the private ceremony. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SydOperaHouse/status/939001985877000193]] As of December 9, when marriage equality becomes law, all weddings will include an updated set script for marriage celebrants to read. The old script stated a rigid, "Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman" and has now become: "Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life." Hoorah! So as of tomorrow, same-sex couples can apply for their marriage licenses and start walking the aisle in a month. Looks like Australia is set for a summer filled with long-awaited gay marriages, including the union of Neville and Ian. Congratulations, guys.

In a world that is continuing to campaign and slowly progress for gender and LGBT+ equality, Australia has taken the latest step in providing trans people with compassion and impartiality, as the state of Victoria is seemingly on the verge of changing the law so that transgender people can change their birth certificate without undergoing sex-change surgery.

Jill Hennessy, Victoria's Attorney-General, introduced the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill back in June, in a conscious attempt to ensure that the state's laws are "compatible with human rights", the Daily Mail has reported.

The proposed bill will be debated in the Victorian Parliament later this week - four months after Tasmania's upper house voted to make gender optional on birth certificates and allow someone to change their gender by signing a statutory declaration.

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It is expected that the Labor government bill will pass through the Legislative Council thanks to support from the Green Party and other left-leaning smaller parties, although the Opposition is set to vote against the legislation.

Melbourne 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell came under fire after suggesting that the change would be "symbolic". Animal Justice Party upper house MP Andy Meddick quickly shot down Mitchell's comments, saying: "No, it's not symbolic. For people who are transgender, this means everything in the world to them."

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Mr Meddick's 20-year-old son, Eden, is transgender, and the MP spoke candidly about how Eden revealed his gender dysphoria at age 14. Meddick stressed to the broadcaster how a person's birth certificate is more than just a piece of paper:

"For them, when they go to get a driver's license, the driver's license doesn't reflect who they are. When they go to get a passport, it doesn't reflect who they are.

"They feel isolated, they feel separated from the rest of the world.

'This is another way, it makes us more inclusive as a society that we recognize that these people are who they are and they're part of us and we love them and we support them."

If the bill is passed in Victoria, that would mean that New South Wales and Queensland would be the only Australian states that still require someone to undergo sex-change surgery in order to change their birth certificate.

In a breakthrough ruling, yesterday (Wednesday, June 12) Ecuador's highest court has legalised same-sex marriage, ruling in favour of two gay couples who petitioned for the right to be wed.

Nine judges in the constitutional court in Quit ovoted five-to-four in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in the cases of the two men - opening the door for even more of the country's 16 million population to wed the person they love.

Ecuador is a country where the Roman Catholic church is incredibly influential, but this landmark ruling means the nation now joins fellow South American countries Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognising same-sex marriage.

Per France24, lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation - who helped provide legal advice for same-sex couples wishing to marry in the country - said of the ruling: "It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian. It is more just than yesterday, that it recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination."

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One couple who won the right to wed is Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar. Following the trial, Soria announced to reporters: "I want to say hello to Javier, who is in [the city of] Guayaquil. Honey, I love you", AFP reports.

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Ecuador first introduced anti-discriminatory laws against LGBTQ+ individuals in 1998, and in 2008 allowed for same-sex couples to enter civil unions, going on to recognise de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples in 2015.

The nation also banned any form of conversion therapy back in 2014.

However, by law, it is still illegal for same-sex couples to adopt children.

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In response to the ruling, the four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognise same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly. However, former Supreme Court president Gustavo Medina informed AFP that the decisions of the Constitutional Court were "binding and mandatory", and Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by them.

Australia's only openly gay territory leader has gone viral on social media after he was pictured kissing his husband following an electoral victory.

Per The Guardian, the celebratory display occurred on national television on Saturday, October 17, when Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory Andrew Barr managed to win the 2020 Australian Capital Territory (ACT) general election for the Labour Party.

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According to The Brisbane Times, the Labour Party secured 11 seats in coalition with the Greens, who earned three.

This alliance tipped the necessary minimum threshold of 13 seats, and now Labour and the Greens are in talks to form a minority government in the ACT's 25-seat-strong legislative assembly.

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After the votes were tallied and he was declared the winner, 47-year-old Barr was given a congratulatory kiss by his husband, Anthony Toms, and the moment was captured in pictures which have since made a stirring impression on LGBTQ+ people all around the world.

Take a look at some of the reactions to the kiss from Twitter users below:

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Per The Brisbane Times, in an emotional speech to the press made in the aftermath of his win, Barr stated:

"It is a humbling experience to lead a political party, and to lead a government. And particularly in a year like this one.

"We've had an extraordinary series of challenges thrown at us, as a city and as a community, and we've got through it because we've worked together.

"We've got through it because we've applied progressive values to our government decisions and because we've applied compassion and we haven't left people behind."

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Barr added: "We met in this city, been together nearly 21 years, about to have our first wedding anniversary. Anthony, I love you."

According to ABC News.au, Barr and Toms have been dating for 20 years after first meeting in 1999. They entered into an ACT civil partnership in 2009, and married a decade later, on November 13, 2009.

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In a post made on Instagram last year, Barr wrote: "Anthony and I married yesterday on our twentieth anniversary and the tenth anniversary of our ACT civil partnership. It was a small family ceremony in Anthony’s home town of Newcastle."

Barr added: "We had a lovely day and want to thank the 7.8 million Australians [...] who voted yes to marriage equality."