Malta becomes latest country to legalise same-sex marriage before Australia
Image: Image: @MGRM_Malta / Twitter
MALTA has voted to legalise same-sex marriage in parliament, with only one of the country’s 67 parliamentarians voting against the amendment.
The country’s marriage act will be changed to replace words such as “husband” and “wife” with the gender-neutral “spouse”.
The words “mother” and “father” will also be replaced with “parent who gave birth” and “parent who did not give birth”.
In a report by the BBC, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said it was a historic vote.
“This shows that our democracy and society have reached a level of maturity and we can now say that we are equal,” he said.
Equality advocates in Australia have welcomed the news, saying the recent change in Malta helps to highlight how straightforward achieving marriage equality can be.
“If marriage equality can occur in Catholic Malta, Australia has no excuses,” said just.equal spokesperson Rodney Croome.
“The lesson for Australia from Malta, and from Germany a few days ago, is that marriage equality can be achieved through parliament without the need for a costly and divisive plebiscite.”
Malta has become the 15th nation in the EU and the 25th in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry.
It comes just weeks after Taiwan and Germany legalised same-sex marriage.
Congratulations Malta well done! I am a proud gay Catholic and this just goes to show you that Catholic countries of Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Malta, France, Germany, Brazil, Columbia, Uruguay and some places within Mexico have seen enlightenment and have moved on in allowing same-sex marriage. Both Australia and Northern Ireland in 2017 still banning same-sex marriage is a complete international laughing stock and an absolute embarrassment!
Well done Malta! Got beaten again Australia! My atheist uncle was in fact born in Malta. Swizerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Austria, Jersey, Alderney and Chile will be next countries to allow SSMs by 2019 and beat us again here in Australia. Estonia, Andorra, San Marino, Italy, Chez Republic, Ecuador, Northern Ireland, Solvenia, Hungary and Croatia will have SSM by 2030. Russia will have SSM in 2035 under an EU directive. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran will have gay marriage in 2048 (after gay sex legalisation in 2038) the Vatican in the year 2049, then finally Australia will be the last place on earth to allow SSM in the year 2050!