It is a given that there are many types of ‘love’. We love our children, we love our pets, and of course we love our partners. The issue of whether two people of the same sex can love each other is, for most people, a stupid question – of course they can.
So why shouldn’t they be permitted to attain marital status recognised by law? Research shows that there's no scientific basis for denying marriage rights to same-sex couples. Just as heterosexuals want to form stable, long-lasting relationships, this need/desire doesn’t alter or isn’t dependant on a partner’s birth sex.
Many couples, regardless of their sex don’t bother with the legal Marriage process however in many countries this status can have a significant impact on issues ranging from who is next of kin, inheritance, taxation, family benefits, income taxes, even if you are permitted hospital visits.
To deny the right of two people who love each other and, wish to enter into a committed marriage relationship, needs a good reason. Our social construct of ‘gender roles’ that are based on religion, history and traditions determining this, is falling short.
Governments are changing their laws accordingly. So far, 30 countries / territories have enacted national laws allowing same sex couples to marry, mostly in Europe and the Americas.
In December 2000, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage when the Dutch parliament passed, by a three-to-one margin, a landmark bill. The legislation gave same-sex couples the right to marry, divorce and adopt children. The legislation altered a single sentence in the existing civil marriage statute, which now reads, “A marriage can be contracted by two people of different or the same sex.” Denmark was the first country to allow same-sex couples to register as domestic partners in 1989. It wasn’t until 2010 that the country enacted a law allowing gay couples in registered partnerships the right to adopt children and then in June 2012, Denmark’s legislature finally passed a bill legalizing same sex marriage. Iceland has allowed same-sex couples to register as domestic partners since 1996. It wasn’t until late June 2010 that same sex marriage was legalised and the country’s prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, married her long-term partner, Jonina Leosdottir, becoming two of the first people to marry under the statute. The South African parliament legalized same-sex marriage in November 2006. The new law allows for religious institutions and civil officers to refuse to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies, a provision that critics claim violates the rights of same-sex couples under the constitution. The laws have been challenged by the traditional monarch of the Zulu people (Zulu’s account for about one-fifth of the country’s population) who maintains that homosexuality is morally wrong. France was the 14th country to legalize same sex marriage in 2013. Ireland and the United States followed in 2015 and Germany in 2017.
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