Sweden looks set to join the gay marriage party in May this year, with most of the country's multi-party governing coalition coming to an agreement ...
Three of the four parties in the governing coalition have tabled a motion that is expected to pave the way for gay marriage in Sweden from May 1.
The Alliance government had been split over the issue with a lesser party, the Christian Democrats, caught up in semantics over the use of 'marriage' as a word.
However the three other parties, the conservative Moderates, the Liberals and the Centre Party, favour a gender neutral law that eliminates the current reference to marriage as something between a man and a woman.
"Regardless of sexual orientation, people in stable couple relationships have a need to manifest their feelings and their desire to live together," the motion reads.
Gay couples getting married, like straight couples, would be allowed to choose between a civil ceremony and a church ceremony under the proposed laws.
The Lutheran Church, separated from the state in 2000 and the church of 74 percent of Swedes, has since January 2007 offered gays a religious blessing of their union, but wanted to reserve 'marriage' for straights.
If the new legislation is adopted, Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, would become the first country in the world to allow gays to marry within a major church.
Civil unions granting gays and lesbians the same legal status as married couples have been allowed in Sweden since 1995.
No comments:
Post a Comment