Gay marriage bill will pass vote in Norwegian Parliament

[trigz]

From Norwegian daily Aftenposten (re the gay dèbàcle over at your end...)


Gay marriages may get equal footing

The Socialist Left (SV) Party's suggestion to drop partnership law and simply let marriage law apply to both hetero- and homosexual unions may be passed by Norway's parliament, the Storting. The Labor Party will likely decide the proposal's fate, newspaper Dagsavisen reports.

Labor's youth and women divisions have indicated that they support a marriage law that does not discriminate between conventional and same-sex matrimony, but the standpoint of the rest of the party is less clear.

Labor's chief representative in the Storting's family committee, Trond Giske, believes the party could support the SV initiative.

"Labor's national party congress has already said that it is the ability to provide care and not sexual preference that is decisive in adoption. So we have taken a principled stand but in that case we only supported stepchild adoption," said Giske, and indicated that further party discussion is needed to establish a broader consensus.

The proposal would also need the support of the Center Party and some Conservative Party representatives. Dagsavisen reported that if these parties allowed representatives to vote freely on the matter it would pass, but bloc voting would likely defeat equal rights for gay couples.

The Center Party backed homosexual adoption in 2001 but the issue caused internal division and might make the topic too controversial for support at this time.

[varun]

1. One more country...

...the list is growing. And guess what - The world hasnt come to an end.

[pacifictiger]

2. I wonder what this country

does if a foreign country traveller lists a same sex partner as legal "spouse" on their travel documents?

[trigz]

3. Throw a wobbly, I imagine (nt)