What was the first country to accept gay marriage

On December 1, , South Africa became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex marriages. On November 14, the parliamentarians of the country voted in favor of the Civil Union Bill favoring same-sex marriages, and effectively passing it as a law. The summary table below lists in chronological order the sovereign states (United Nations member states plus Taiwan) that have legalized same-sex marriage.

As of January , 38 states have legalized same sex marriage. Dates are when marriages between same-sex couples began to be officially certified. Homosexuality was accepted in ancient Assyria (c. B.C. to B.C.), and two of the first 14 Roman emperors married male lovers. Ancient Greece generally doesn’t seem to have had a problem with homosexuality, and the man Sacred Band of Thebes was formed on the principle that nobody fighting alongside a lover would want to let his.

One of the landmark moments in the fight for gay rights happened twenty years ago to the day, April 1, , when the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage. First country in Latin America to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Voters supported legalizing same-sex marriage 62% to 38% in a nonbinding nationwide referendum.

A court ruling in eventually led to the change. Second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage after its neighbor, the Netherlands. Helene Faasen, left, and Anne-Marie Thus tied the knot in the first legal gay marriage ceremony.

Same-sex marriage countries

Emilio Menendez and his American partner of 30 years, Carlos Baturin German, became the first gay couple to tie the knot in Spain, at a ceremony in Tres Cantos, outside Madrid, on 11 July This choice is fueled not just by the fact that same-sex marriages are legalized in the country, but also because the Icelandic society in general is highly progressive, and largely accepts such marriages without any resistance.

Following years of advocacy by human rights groups, and after sitting in parliament for a year and a half, on May 26, , the Danish parliament finally voted to pass the Civil Partnership law with 71 members in favour, 47 against and five abstentions. A long and taxing national debate preceded the decision, with the Senate finally voting 33 to 27 in favor of the law.

There are currently no plans for similar legislation in Northern Ireland. Spain July In July of , Spain celebrated its ten year anniversary of the legalization of gay marriages therein. And in June , Denmark became the 11th country to approve same-sex marriage - 23 years after it became the first country in the world to recognise gay civil partnerships. Although six out of the seven parties represented in the Parliament voted in favor, the Christian Democrats refused to support the law.

The Swiss Parliament adopted a bill that recognized same-sex marriage on Dec. The year marks when the law was first enacted in that country. The Government of India informed the Supreme Court that it is doing whatever is "utmost possible" in the matter pertaining to an Indian nurse who is facing execution for murder charges in Yemen on July According to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics, there have been more than 18, same-sex marriages in the country since , with roughly 53 per cent of those unions involving two women.

In the United States, homosexuality was still prohibited in a number of states, and violence, harassment, and discrimination against LGBTQ people was common. Regardless of one's stance, it cannot be argued that, for the same-sex couples living in the countries listed below, they must have considered their respective nations' passing through of legislation allowing them to be married, and those marriages to be fully recognized to be nothing short of a personal and national victory.

Umrao Jaan recently returned to cinema: 4 Urdu novels still waiting for their big screen debut. Soon after, similar laws were passed in other nations, including Norway, Sweden, and Iceland in the s. On June 17, , the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, approved a law that allowed same sex couples to enjoy the same matrimonial rights as heterosexual couples. The law was implemented on the coming New Year, January 1, This was passed by the Parliament on June 28, , and then moved to the Senate, which also passed the Bill on July 19, The hashtag LoveWins almost immediately became the No.

But it was left to the Netherlands to lead the way in allowing gay marriage, which included granting same-sex couples the right to adopt children. This law thus allowed gay partners to marry in civil or religious ceremonies, to adopt children, and to partake in artificial insemination. Norway January On June 17, , the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, approved a law that allowed same sex couples to enjoy the same matrimonial rights as heterosexual couples.

While the term marriage was not used, same-sex couples in civil unions were able to enjoy many of the same benefits as married couples did. On December 1, , South Africa became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex marriages.

The First Countries to Legalize Gay Marriage - WorldAtlas

In July of , Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages, attributing Argentine gay people the same marital rights as the nation's heterosexuals. The new law gave same-sex couples all of the same marital and adoption rights as heterosexual citizens. Days later, Canada - where same-sex marriage had already been permitted in most provinces since - became the fourth country to introduce national legislation.