Countries Where Same Sex Marriage is Legal

Same-sex relationships have always existed in some form or other in almost every part of the world. Such couples may have been either pushed to the margins of mainstream society or allowed to continue their relationship in furtive ways. However it is only since the late twentieth century that some countries began granting same-sex couples the right to be legally married and as of now there are nine such countries where same-sex marriage is legal either entirely or only in certain
parts.

The Netherlands

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriages. The law came into effect on 1 April 2001 and on that very day four same-sex couples were married by the Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen. The law legalizing same-sex marriage is only valid in the European territory of the Netherlands and does not apply to the constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; thus same-sex couples cannot get legally married in Aruba, Curacao and Sin Martin though Dutch law makes it imperative that any marriage by Dutch law be recognized in all parts of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

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Belgium

Belgium became the second country in the world to recognize same-sex marriages when on June 1, 2003, the law granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples came into force. Initially there were restrictions based on the nationality of the partners, but as of now Belgian permits any couple to marry in Belgium if at least one of the spouses has lived in the country for a minimum of three months. Belgium had already granted same-sex couples the status of statutory cohabitation according to the act of 23 November 1998 which gave limited rights to registered same-sex and opposite-sex couples.

USA

In United States, since laws governing marriage and divorce differ according to state, same-sex marriage is thus allowed only in certain states. Here same-sex couples can legally marry in six states which include Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont as well as the District of Columbia. Same-sex spouses in these states are also allowed to receive state-level benefits of legal marriages.  Of these Massachusetts was the first to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The states of New Jersey, Maryland, and Rhode Island do not facilitate same-sex marriages, but do recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. In California, same-sex marriages could be legally performed between June 16, 2008 and November 4, 2008, after which voters passed Proposition 8 prohibiting same-sex marriages. However California recognizes any same-sex marriage from around the world that took place before that end date. Some states like California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Washington and federal part of District of Columbia go so far as to grant civil union or domestic partnership status with varying legal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples but do not grant marriage licenses.

Canada

In Canada, same-sex marriages are legally recognized nationwide. This became possible after July 20, 2005, with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition; Canada thus became the fourth country in the world and the first in North America to legalize same sex marriages across the nation. Even before 2005, the courts in various provinces and territories of Canada were gradually moving to recognize same-sex marriages. So at the time when the Civil Marriage Act was introduced to the Canadian House of Commons in 2005 February, eight out of ten provinces and one of three territories in Canada had already legalized same-sex marriages.

Spain

Same-sex marriage became legalized in Spain from July 2005 after the Spanish Parliament passed the gay marriage measure on Thursday, 30 June 2005. The law also allows gay couples to adopt children and inherit property. The law had aroused a lot of controversy since Spain is a predominantly Catholic nation and the Catholic Church has been officially opposed to same-sex marriages.

South Africa

The Civil Union Act of South Africa has legalized same-sex marriages in the country ever since it came into force on 30 November 2006. In fact South Africa was the first country in the African continent and the second outside Europe to grant legal marriage status to its same-sex couples. The passing of the Civil Union Act can be traced back to the efforts of a lesbian couple, Marié Fourie and Cecelia Bonthuys, who with the support of the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, applied in the Pretoria High Court to have their union recognized and recorded by the Department of Home Affairs as a valid marriage. In the present form the Civil Union Act not only provides for opposite-sex, same-sex civil marriages, and religious marriages but also civil partnerships. However the law met opposition from some and traditional leaders and religious leaders, both
Muslim and Christian.

Norway

Norway became the first Scandinavian country to legalize same-sex marriage on January 1, 2009. This was the result of enactment of gender neutral marriage bill which was passed by the Norwegian legislature in June 2008. The law not only allows same-sex couples to get legally married in Norway but also gives lesbian and gay couples the same rights as heterosexuals, including church weddings, full joint adoption as well as assisted pregnancies.

Sweden

The same year on 1 May another Scandinavian country, Sweden, legalized same-sex marriages after Swedish parliament adopted a new, gender-neutral law on marriage on 1 April 2009. A few months later in October 2009, the governing board of the Church of Sweden, voted in majority in favor of allowing its priests to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples which would use new gender-neutral terminology and actions.

Argentina

The most recent country to legalize same-sex marriages has been Argentina, also the first country in South America to do so. The law grants for same-sex couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage, including the right to adopt children. The first same-sex marriage to be performed under the law was on July 30, 2010. Argentina saw considerable opposition to the law legalizing same sex marriage from the Catholic Church, which is religion of the majority of the population.