GRAPHIC: Marriage Equality Throughout Europe

With England's completion of the enactment of same-sex marriage earlier this month, it's instructive to review the geographic distribution of marriage equality throughout the European continent. The above map indicates that Spain, Portugal, France, England, Scotland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Norway are all dark-blue marriage equality states. Additionally, there are many other states in Europe which have other forms of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Of the dark-blue marriage equality states only Iceland and Norway are NOT members of the European Union.

There are ten European countries (in red) which have constitutional bans prohibiting recognition or legalization of same-sex marriage: Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia and Ukraine. Half of these countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) ARE members of the European Union.

It will be interesting to see how the European Union will resolve the question of marriage equality. I would guess that the EU will have uniform laws recognizing same-sex couples well before the United States does.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

GRAPHIC: Countries With Marriage Equality

With the passage of marriage equality in Uruguay, the above graphic is floating around the Interwebs. It is very soon to be out of date, because in addition to the imminent case of France, Great Britain will almost certainly enact marriage equality by the end of the year.

Spain's Top Court Upholds Marriage Equality Law

Good news! When the conservatives in the Popular Party (PP) won Spain's parliamentary elections last year they vowed to overturn the country's marriage equality law which has been in effect since 2005. They first did so by appointing conservative judges to Spain's high court which has been considering an appeal to the law's constitutionality that was filed shortly by the PP after the law went into effect more than 7 years ago.

Today comes word that by a vote of 8-3 the law was upheld by Spain's Constitutional Court in Madrid:

Spain’s Parliament passed the gay marriage law in 2005 when it was Socialist-controlled, with Popular Party deputies opposed. The Popular Party took power late last year after the Socialists were ousted over their handling of the economy. 

The gay marriage law angered the predominant Roman Catholic Church but opinion surveys showed most Spaniards backed it. Belgium and the Netherlands approved gay marriage laws before Spain. 

More than 22,000 gay marriages have taken place in Spain.

The PP could still try to pass a new law through Parliament repealing marriage equality in the country, but since then other countries in Europe have also ratified marriage equality, including neighboring Portugal in 2010, Sweden in 2009, Denmark in 2012 and Norway in 2008. In 2010 fellow Spanish-speaking country Argentina enacted marriage equality and France is poised to consider legislation to do so soon, although the political debate and religious opposition is growing more fractious as the possibility of marriage equality becomes more realistic in that country.

Regardless, today we can celebrate that Spain has marriage equality, which is one of the reasons why my husband and myself spent a week visiting the country (Barcelona and Madrid) earlier this year!

GRAPHIC: Interactive Map Of Global Marriage Equality

France is poised to join the list of countries in which same-sex marriage is legal by 2013, and in light of the debate which is about to start in that country when the marriage bill is introduced in Parliament in October, the news service France24 has published an interactive map demonstrating the countries around the world which allow full marriage equality or civil unions.

hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Denmark Enacts Marriage Equality!

As I had previously blogged about, the Scandinavian country of Denmark has been planning on joining the rest of the region in enacting marriage equality this summer. On Thursday, the Danish Parliament passed a bill to allow marriages by same-sex couples by a vote of 85 to 24 in the 111 member body called the Folketing.

According to Pink News:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, to which 80 percent of the Danish population belongs, will be able to perform marriage ceremonies under the new laws. New rites were written up by ten of the Church’s eleven bishops in a spirit of “good cooperation”, Bishop Kjeld Holm said.

Gay couples will be able to marry in churches of their choice but priests will not be obliged to perform weddings. They would, however, need to help the couple find a priest who would marry them at the church under the new laws.

The bill will go into effect in June 15, 2012. In 1989, Denmark became the first country in the world to offer state recognition of same-sex couples, when their "registered partnerships" law went into effect. By enacting marriage equality, Denmark joins the 10 other countries around the world where the practice is legal: South Africa, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherlands, Iceland and Norway.

Denmark PM Sets Date Marriage Equality Legalized

Excellent news! As I blogged about last October, the Government of Denmark has announced that it will be enacting marriage equality in the near future, and today comes word that the date will be June 15th, 2012.

At her weekly press conference, Tuesday, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said the government is putting the finishing touches to a bill that will come into force on June 15th, allowing homosexuals and lesbians to walk down the aisle in the church of their choice – if they can find a priest who’s willing to conduct the ceremony.

“It will always be up to the individual priest as to whether he or she is prepared to bless gay couples but this legislation provides homosexuals with the same rights as heterosexuals,” said the PM.

Way back in 1989, Denmark was the very first country in the world to have state-sponsored recognition of same-sex couples when they enacted registered partnerships, which was essentially what we would now call civil unions or comprehensive domestic partnerships. Now, there are well over a half-dozen countries which have full marriage equality, led by the Netherlands in 2000 and followed by Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.

Denmark is a European country of 5.5 million people, about the size of Minnesota or Wisconsin. When Maryland and Washington defend their marriage equality laws at the ballot box later this year, even more people (5.8 million and 6.8 million, respectively) will gain access to marriage equality.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Celebrity Friday: Cristiano Ronaldo (reprise)

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous athletes in the world and the highest paid athlete in the most popular sport in the world (football). Of course, he's also very very attractive. In an interview publicizing the upcoming World Cup tournament in South Africa (June 11- July 11) he gave these thoughts on marriage for same-sex couples (which recently became legal in his home country of Portugal):

The Portuguese man that I am, I try to keep informed about what is happening in my country. I know the law was passed and the comment it deserves is that we must respect the choices made by anyone, because, after all, all citizens should have the exact same rights and responsibilities.

As my friend Andres Duque (who translated the above from the original Portuguese) says, this is "a breath of fresh air coming from one of the top players in a sport not particularly known for its tolerance or respect towards gays."

Hat/tip to Blabbeando!

Portugal President Enacts Marriage Equality

Portugal will become the tenth jurisdiction in the world (sixth country in Europe) where marriage between same-sex couples is legal after President Anibal Cavaco Silva agreed to allow the measure become law today, the International Day Against Homophobia, despite direct lobbying from the Pope, who had decried gay marriage when he visited the country last week.

The bill was a priority of Portugal's recently elected prime minister Jose Socrates who had included the measure in his election portfolio. However, to become law the measure needed the assent of the President.

"I feel I should not contribute to a pointless extension of this debate, which would only serve to deepen the divisions between the Portuguese and divert the attention of politicians away from the grave problems affecting us," Cavaco Silva said.

He said that, in ratifying the law, he was setting aside "personal convictions."

Elsewhere in Europe, gay marriage is permitted in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway.

Five U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage, as have Canada and South Africa.

Portugal is nearly 90 percent Catholic. However, only around 2 million of its 10.6 million people describe themselves as practicing Catholics and in recent times Portugal has drifted away from the church's teachings.

The current Socialist government has defied the church before. It passed a law in 2007 allowing abortion. The following year, it introduced a law allowing divorce even if one of the spouses objected. It has argued that the legislation is part of Portugal's "modernization."

The new law removes the previous legal stipulation that marriage is between two people of different sexes.

Portugal's Constitutional Court validated the bill's legality last month.

[...]

Portugal lifted a prohibition on homosexuality in the early 1980s. In 2001, it passed a law allowing "civil unions" between same-sex couples, which granted couples certain legal, tax and property rights. However, it did not allow couples to take a partner's name, nor inherit his or her possessions or state pension.

Congratulations! Anyone fancy a trip to Lisbon to celebrate?

Celebrity Friday: Cristiano Ronaldo

Footballers Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) appear in the latest edition of Vanity Fair in their underwear (yes!) to promote some upcoming sporting event I think a few people may have heard of: the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

All I can say is "Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!"

Hat/tip to Rod 2.0

Marriage Equality Bill Expected To Pass...in PORTUGAL!

A bill is pending to legalize marriage equality in a very Catholic jurisdiction. Yes, that is true in the state of New Jersey, but it is also true in the country of Portugal! The difference is that New Jersey's vote is today and Monday, while Portugal's vote is Friday. Oh and the small difference that Portugal's measure is expected to become law with only token opposition.

Catholic Portugal, traditionally one of Europe's most socially conservative countries, is expected to approve the legalisation of gay marriage on Friday with a minimum of fuss.

With the governing Socialists and other left-wing parties enjoying a strong majority, the new law is likely to sail through the first reading debate and gain final approval before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, due in Portugal in May.

In contrast to Spain, where the lead-up to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005 brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, the bill in Portugal has provoked only muted opposition even from the right.

While normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society, the Catholic Church has refused to mobilise on a subject which, according to Lisbon's Cardinal Patriarch Jose Policarpo, is "parliament's responsibility".

"I think the Portuguese people have learnt one of the fundamental tenets of democracy: respect for the rights of the individual," Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal's first openly-gay lawmaker who was elected in September, told AFP.

Vale de Almeida, who is the Socialists' pointman on the legislation, said there is now a political majority in favour of gay marriage and that it is "too simplistic to link Catholicism and conservatism."

According to poll conducted late last year by the Eurosondagem institute, while a strong majority (68.4 percent) of Portuguese are opposed to adoptions by same-sex couples, they are more evenly divided when it comes to gay marriage with 49.5 percent against, with 45.5 percent in favour.

Let's hope things go as well in New Jersey today!

Portugal Plans To Enact Marriage Equality Soon

The newly re-elected prime minister of Portugal, José Sócrates, ran on a promise to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

Gay couples in Portugal are waiting to see whether their re-elected prime minister will follow through with his campaign promise for gay
marriage.

José Sócrates and his Socialist Party government were returned
to power last weekend but without a parliamentary majority.

However, the left wing occupies a majority of the seats, with all left wing parties agreeing with gay marriage.

Portugal, which has a large Roman Catholic population, has seen all previous efforts to instigate same-sex marriage hit by heavy resistance from the country's religious groups and conservative politicians.

This year, a lesbian couple tried to challenge the gay marriage ban as unconstitutional.

Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, two divorced mothers in their 30s who have been together since 2003, challenged the country's law when they were turned away from a registry office in Lisbon in 2006 after trying to wed.

The registry office rejected their attempt to marry on the grounds that the law states that marriage is between people of different genders.

In July, the Portuguese constitutional court upheld the ban on same-sex marriage.

Sunday's voting also saw an openly gay politician elected in Portugal for the first time.

Miguel Vale de Almeida is an independent MP for the Socialist Party.

Hat/tip PinkNews