The question of where gay marriage is permitted is of interest to many people. We, in the Russian Federation, have not passed a law allowing the registration of such relations, and it is unlikely to ever be approved, but there are several dozen countries in the world where this is possible.
Laws adopted before 2000
So, talking about where gay marriage is allowed, one should tell about the countries that allowed registering such relations back in the 20th century. So, Denmark turned out to be the most tolerant. She tops the list of countries where gay marriage is permitted , since the law was passed there back in 1986.
Next up is Norway. There, the law on permission to marry between people of the same sex was adopted in 1993. More precisely, civil unions. Officially, that is, with registration, only in 2009. Since 1995, partnerships are allowed to register in Sweden, and full-fledged same-sex marriages - as well as in Norway, since 2009. Oddly enough, but in Bulgaria the government has endowed such unions with economic rights (regarding medical services, inheritance, immigration and burial rights). Since 2009, such people are allowed to officially marry. Only the right to change the name and adopt children is excluded.
Since 1996, Iceland has also adopted the described law - there, people of non-traditional orientation can get married and be the same family as the rest, with all rights. In Holland - the same thing, but since 1998. By the way, it was this country that was the first to propose introducing into the legislation the wording “same-sex marriage”.
Laws after 2000
Since the 21st century, countries where gay marriage is permitted have expanded their list. Apparently, such a concept as tolerance has become more and more common. For example, since 2001, Finland has been allowed to register such relationships, and partners have been given the opportunity to adopt children and take each other's surnames. Since 2001, Germany has also agreed to recognize lifelong partnerships, but they are still not considered full-fledged marriages.
Portugal in 2001 also adopted this provision. Belgium - since 2003, as well as Croatia. Luxembourg joined the countries of Europe where gay marriage is permitted in 2004. New Zealand adopted this position at the same time. In Spain, the law was approved in 2005, as in Canada and Switzerland. And finally, Ireland and Argentina added to the list of such tolerant states in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Interesting Facts
Talking about where gay marriage is permitted, it would not hurt to mention a few interesting facts that relate to this topic. So, the first couple to legalize their relationship were two young people. These are Aigil and Axel Axgil. They are citizens of Denmark. This marriage was registered in 1989, on October 1, just when the law on same-sex unions came into full force.
In July 2010, an unusual situation occurred. Johanna Sigurdardottir - a woman who holds the post of President of Iceland, entered into a same-sex marriage. Thus, she became the first in the world of the main country to form such a union.
And finally, a fact that many people rightfully consider to be at least wrong. Since 2007, the Swedish Lutheran Church began to bless such a relationship. It was unprecedented. Thus, Sweden became the first country in the world in which the dominant church allowed gay marriage. But that is not all. Since 2009, even weddings have been held.
Netherlands
So, speaking about countries where gay marriage is permitted, one cannot help but talk in more detail about them and their laws in order to understand the specifics of this provision, which, as Russians, seems completely unacceptable to us. The Netherlands is the first state to fully legalize same-sex marriage. By the way, an important role in terms of endorsing such relations was the Cairo International Conference of the United Nations, which dealt with population. Then a lot of words were said about equality and equivalence. And so the idea of legitimizing relations between two girls or guys came up.
So, in the Netherlands, people of non-traditional orientation can enter into a civil marriage, passing an ordinary ceremony at the city hall. One of them must be a citizen of this country. Mayors, however, have the right to refuse to register such a relationship. The right to adopt children is also limited. It is possible, but only babies who are subjects of the Netherlands. And this will be real only if the couple lived together for at least three years. There are other requirements in the list - a good financial situation, relevant conditions, etc.
Belgium
This state also allows men to enter into official relations among themselves, as well as women. Talking about where gay marriage is allowed in Europe, it is worth noting the attention of this country. Belgium is the second state after the Netherlands to adopt a law on the registration of such relations. Homosexuals were given the same rights as heterosexuals.
The main argument used by the Belgian government was the numerous demands of non-traditional sexual orientation citizens on the adoption of the law of equality. The Belgians asked for the same rights that others had. The state agreed in 2003. And in 2006, it had already approved the provision enabling such people to adopt children.
Canada
This is the fourth state that has decided to legalize such marriages. An important event took place in 2005, namely on July 20. This bill, by the way, was one of the most controversial in the history of the country's parliament. For several years, representatives of law and the state have argued about whether it can be approved or not. There were many opponents, but there were enough like-minded people of this idea.
Law approved. In accordance with it, girls and boys can marry with a representative of the same gender anywhere (we are talking about Canada, of course). And all couples have the opportunity to adopt or adopt a child from an orphanage.
USA
You should also list the states where gay marriage is permitted. In the United States, people who are representatives of sexual minorities have begun to fight for the right to register their relationship officially for a long time - since 1970. But the authorities turned a blind eye to this as they could. However, at the beginning of the XXI century, when statements began to be circulated in Europe regarding marriages between people with a non-traditional orientation, Americans again began to resent. In the end, laws began to be enacted to allow relations between representatives of the same gender.
Vermont is the first US state to allow such people to marry. The second was Massachusetts. The third is California. They began to register marriages between homosexuals in 2008, from June 16. In the first months, 18 thousand couples immediately applied and got married! But then the law was canceled, so to speak, and marriages ceased to be concluded. More than 50% of the California population (namely 52.1%) were opposed to formal relations between homosexuals. But after lengthy trials in February 2012, the San Francisco Court of Appeals lifted the ban on marriages between people of the same sex.
In 2008, this ban was also lifted in Connecticut. Iowa in 2009 recognized same-sex marriage as the right decision. It was followed by the states of New Hampshire and Maine. Then supported the bill and New York, and after it - Maryland. The last tolerant state was Washington.
Other states
In 2009, Mexico joined the tolerant countries. Mexico City is the first city in all of Latin America in which gay marriage can be officially entered into.
Argentina joined the list of tolerant states in 2010. And long before that, in 2002, the country became the first of all Latin American countries in which people of the same sex were allowed to live together. However, they were then not allowed to exercise the rights that heterosexual couples have.
In 2011, not so long ago, the Brazilian Supreme Court allowed the registration of same-sex marriage. But, interestingly, in this state there is no federal law confirming this fact.
And a few words about the countries of Europe where gay marriage is permitted. In the UK, the law was officially adopted not so long ago, a little over a year and a half ago. Men and women can marry in both civil and church ceremonies. But not in the Church of England - this is one condition. France joined the European countries where gay marriage is permitted in 2013. Homosexuals were allowed to sign and adopt children.
Russian Federation
In our country, registering a homosexual marriage is unrealistic, because Russian law does not regulate the possibility of formalizing such a relationship. Moreover, same-sex marriages that were concluded in another state (where this is permitted) are not recognized as valid on the territory of our country. This simply contradicts the foundations of national legislation.
In Russia, they are unlikely to ever be allowed to marry persons of the same sex. We have a different worldview, a different demographic and social situation. Russian politicians, like most citizens of our country, argue that such marriages are not only what leads to the extinction of the nation, but also a factor that destroys the moral values and foundations of society. Well, everyone has their own opinion on this matter, and the laws in the world are different, but this is not the case in Russia, and many are happy about this fact.