Iceland's Parliament Votes 49-0 to Legalize Same Sex Marriage

[racaulk]

Iceland passes gay marriage law in unanimous vote

(Reuters) - Iceland, the only country in the world to have an openly gay head of state, passed a law on Friday allowing same-sex partners to get married in a vote which met with no political resistance.

The Althingi parliament voted 49 to zero to change the wording of marriage legislation to include matrimony between "man and man, woman and woman," in addition to unions between men and women.

Iceland, a socially tolerant island nation of about 320,000 people, became the first country to elect an openly gay head of state in 2009 when Social Democrat Johanna Sigurdardottir became prime minister after being nominated by her party.

"The attitude in Iceland is fairly pragmatic," said Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson, a political scientist at the University of Iceland. "It (gay marriage) has not been a big issue in national politics -- it's not been controversial."

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Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65A3V020100611

H/T: Towleroad

As a result of this legislation, same sex marriage will become legal in Iceland effective June 27, 2010. At that time, Iceland will become the ninth country in the world (the seventh in Europe) to allow for full marriage equality for all of its citizens.

Congratulations, Icelanders! :hi:

[sui generis]

1. 49-0 Woo hoo!

:woohoo:

That's government administering to its citizens, not moralizing or making concessions or waffling or commissioning studies or fucking around with "states rights" or any other nonsense.

[Smashcut]

2. OMG A COUNTRY FULL OF SMART PEOPLE

Does not compute

[racaulk]

3. I know, right?

It's amazing what can happen in a place where religious fundamentalists don't infest every level of government. A marriage equality bill passing with no opposition votes would be completely unimaginable here in the United States, even in the most progressive areas of the country.

[Toasterlad]

4. And Yet Another Country Advances to Draw Stark Contrast to America's Third World Status

"Land of the Free". What a sick joke.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

5. With Every Country That Enacts Marriage Equality...

I get more and more disgusted with this country.

"It's amazing what can happen in a place where religious fundamentalists don't infest every level of government. A marriage equality bill passing with no opposition votes would be completely unimaginable here in the United States, even in the most progressive areas of the country."

Amen, racaulk. This is why I hope every day that I can move to Canada--any place that has marriage equality. I am 57 and wonder if I will ever be in a truly free country. A country where the government isn't afraid of fundamentalists and does the right thing. It may happen here yet, but I doubt it will be in my lifetime. I don't know what it will take to get my spouse to apply for a visa. All I know is if she does,I can go on a spousal visa as we married in Canada.

My congrats to all Icelanders but especially GLBT Icelanders. If I wasn't getting so old I would oonsider your wonderful country. May all who marry there (and in all truly free countries) live long and happy lives together! :bounce: :woohoo: :yourock: :headbang:

[Libertas1776]

6. Well

not to knock this victory in the least, but i'm sure we could accomplish the same thing if we had a largely homogeneous population of only 320,000 people. The state of Massachusetts accomplished the same goal 6 years ago with a population 20 times bigger. Our problem is that we are in the grand scheme of things a union of small bickering countries called "states." Some of these states alone dwarf the entire populations of European countries that have legalized "marriage." ( and i mean marriage, not unions so sorry Britain)