Countries that legalized same sex marriage
Since the Netherlands became the first country to allow same-sex marriage 12 years ago, many countries have followed suit.
France is the latest and supporters of gay marriage hope it will soon clear the final legal hurdles in Britain.
But where in the world can same-sex couples already get married?
Just after midnight on 1 April , four couples - Anne-Marie Thus and Helene Faasen, and three male couples - were married by the mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, in the first legal gay marriage ceremony in the world.
"We are so adj, if you saw us on the street you&#;d just trek right past us," said Ms Thus of the fuss over the televised City Hall ceremony.
"The only thing that&#;s going to take some getting used to is calling her my spouse."
Denmark was the first country to introduce civil partnerships for same-sex couples, in , but it stopped short of allowing church weddings.
Countries including Norway, Sweden and Iceland followed
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of community, national and regional advocates and give tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in
Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove
Countries Where Gay Marriage Is Legal
For many years, same-sex marriage has been a heated topic of endless debate. Supporters of same-sex marriage say that a relationship and subsequent marriage between two people of the same sex is natural and normal. These supporters believe that a person does not prefer to be gay and is instead born this way. Supporters also say that same-sex couples are just as capable as heterosexual couples when it comes to getting married, living together, and raising children.
On the flip side, there are people that are against gay marriage. These people may have religious beliefs that tell them this is wrong. Others say that same-sex relationships and marriage is abnormal and can have negative effects on children that are raised in a same-sex household.
However, there are still nations around the world that outright ban gay marriage. Even if a wedding ceremony is performed, these couples are not recognized by the government as legally married. Not every country in the world is involved in the conversation surrounding gay marriage, but a large percentage
The tin anniversary &#x; a review of the status of same-sex relationships around the world
Posted: 28/03/
On 29 March , it will be the year anniversary of the first same-sex marriage ceremony in England. It is sometimes easy to forget that up until homosexuality was illegal in this country. Interestingly, it was never illegal to be lesbian, perhaps one of the rare ways women were historically overlooked by law makers which had an inadvertently positive effect!
It may come as a shock to some same-sex couples who travel abroad that their relationship might not be recognised, or they may even be treated differently than a heterosexual couple in their new home country if their relationship or marriage ends.
In England, there are a myriad of financial claims arising from the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership, and these rights could be lost if you move abroad.
In contrast, cohabiting couples in England still verb limited financial protection on separation despite calls for reform. Our International Family Law Report: The Cohabitation Conundrum summarises the legal reme