Wedding bells ringing around the world
The past few weeks saw a wave of equality reforms sweep around the globe.
In the dying days of March, Japan’s conservative-leaning government announced that Japanese citizens entering into same-sex marriages abroad will be provided with any documentation needed by foreign governments to prove there’s no barrier to wed.
This removes a significant obstacle for Japanese gays and lesbians who have partners from countries where same-sex marriage is legal or where civil union laws require proof that a person is not already in a legal marriage.
Despite this year’s same-sex entitlements reforms, a Rudd-governed Australia still refuses to do the same.
Sydneysiders are well aware of how popular overseas marriages are for Japanese couples, and those looking for scenic destinations in which to wed will now find themselves spoilt for choice with the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Sweden and in the American midwest state of Iowa.
Sweden joins neighbour Norway, which gave gay couples full relationship equality last year. With civil unions well established in Denmark and Iceland, the fight may be over in Scandinavia by decade’s end.
With Portugal set to join Spain in doing the same, Iberia should join them soon.
And while Sweden’s Catholic and Muslim minorities were a large source of opposition, the campaign for civil marriage equality was strongly supported by the country’s dominant Lutheran Church, which will bless such unions but not with the full rites of marriage.
Three days later, echoing events in California last year, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a 1998 ban on same-sex marriage there -” in the process also legalising it.
The ruling was unanimous and because of that state’s laws on voter initiatives, gay equality opponents will be unable to mount a challenge until 2012, by which time most Iowans should be used to the change.
In the meantime gay marriage bills are currently advancing through state legislatures in New Jersey, New Hampshire and Maine.
And by the time this column goes to print it will be known whether a similar bill already passed by the Vermont Senate and House of Representatives has been vetoed by that state’s Republican Governor.
If just five members of the state legislature switch sides in a secondary vote, Governor Jim Douglas gets cut out of the process and four of these have already indicated they will, making for a nail-biting finish.
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As a gay activist my prodiction for SSM in Europe will be Iceland next, then France, then Denmark, then Germany, than Finland, then the UK, then finally the rest of Europe. My predition in the US states is going to be California very soon, then New York next, then Rhode Island, then New Hampshire, then New Jersey, then Oregon, then Washington, then there will be a major federal supreme court decision allowing all states to have SSM – just like the 1967 decision about interracial marriage.
UPDATE: THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, DAVID PATERSON, WILL SOON INTRODUCE A SAME SEX MARRIAGE BILL THERE TOO!
Hi Paul,
Japan hasn’t provided same-sex marriage just the documents to prove people aren’t already married when their citizens want to marry in countries where same-sex marriage is allowed.
As for Nepal, the High Court there ruled that same-sex relationships should be recognised and that the government should set up an inquiry to look at the different models that could achieve that. As far as I know the government of Nepal is yet to do this and there is no guarantee that the model eventually chosen will be marriage.
However, the executive branch of the Taiwanese government drafted a same-sex marriage bill in 2003 (making it the first Asian nation to debate such a bill). After parliamentary opposition, the bill was stalled and has been gathering dust for the last six years- however, the level of acceptance of gay relationships in Taiwan is not dissimilar to that in the US and the UK so it may come back again…
Japan?? – when did they provide same sex marriage?
YESSSS MORE MARRIAGE EQUALITY:
* Sweden
* Nepal
* Iowa
* Vermont (just with 100 votes to override the VT Rep. Gov)
* California in May 2009 – Maybe (still under challenges and court procedings)?
With all KRudd’s travels, why doesn’t he take his blinkers off & notice all this??? Why is he hell bent on sealing off Australia as an Evangelical-Christian-Extremist-Banana-Republic?
GREAT NEWS!!! THEY DID IT IN VERMONT!!!
In a 100-49 vote verdict the Vermont House of Representatives overided Governor Douglas’ veto power, making Vermont the first state to legalise same-sex marriage through political rather than judicial action.
If that wasn’t good enough, on the same day in a unanimous vote, the Government of the District of Columbia (the US equivalent of the ACT) decided that it will recognise out of state same-sex marriages while not performing them itself (the states of New York and Rhode Island do this also).
Many are hoping that these results will sway the Judges currently deciding the validity of Prop 8 in California and make that state the fifth on the list.