President Anibal Cavaco Silva may be a conservative, but with his signature on a same-sex marriage law — because, he said today in televised remarks, vetoing it would only delay the bill that would go back to Parliament and get the votes to overcome his veto — he makes Portugal Europe’s sixth country to get the M-word after Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway. Not that he’s terribly happy about it, given it goes against his “personal convictions.” [AP]
Portuguese President Says YES to Gay Marriage
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Mountainword
FIRST!
Also, nice tidbit – next time include a link to a longer story with more detail, eh?
Monsieur Wasabi
@Mountainword:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/05/17/general-eu-portugal-gay-marriage_7612103.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews
Enjoy~
🙂
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
This is quite amazingly wonderful news. Last week, the Portuguese press was reporting that today the president would announce his veto of the bill, after that Nazi from Rome left (okay, they didn’t call the poop a Nazi, that was me) (oh, they didn’t call him the poop either, that was me too).
So, the Nazi from Rome came to town, did his blah blah blah the gays are the cause of all evil, leaves town, and now, happy homos can marry. Sometimes, and this is one of those times, It’s A Wonderful World.
Dick
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/17/international/i122534D53.DTL&tsp=1
memoiyo
In the words of my best friend: WOOOOHOOOOO!
Hyhybt
When does the new law take effect?
Andy
-Not that he’s terribly happy about it, given it goes against his “personal convictions.”
Why ruin it with such a proclamation? If you don’t like gay marriage, don’t get one.
Lucius vorenus
Western Civilization is changing. The madness of christianity is finally being put an end to…..after 2000 years of ignorance and hatred!
Robert, NYC
Puts the US to even greater shame! Damn backward society!
DM73
I’d never thought I’d see the day that Portugal would be more progressive on this issue than the U.S.
Robert, NYC
No. 10, DM73, exactly. In 2011 Finland gets on board, bringing the total in Europe to seven countries. We’ll NEVER get it in the U.S., not in our lifetime. We’re far too conservative and caught up in religious subservience. The beliefs of religious cultists have always trumped our rights and that’s not going to change.
Jaroslaw
Lucious Vorenus (oops Lucius) well you might be lucious too, who knows.
Anyway, Christianity was not homophobic at the beginning nor was it up until the middle ages. Not a defense, just historical accuracy please.
Thobdy Nepotts
Congratulations to the Portugays!
With most of Europe, Israel, some of Asia (hello Nepal!), Canada, Mexico City (and Mexico as a whole soon to follow), a few Central and South American jurisdictions all having legal gay marriages and/or registered civil partnerships and word that even CHINA is examining the possibility comes the realisation that many states of the USA will have more in common on this front with Islamic and African countries than with the civilised world.
A great place to be, to be sure. (NOT.)
Paschal
@Robert, NYC: Portugal doesn’t allow adoption by gay couples, only allowing single gays to adopt. The Portuguese Parliament voted down by a large margin a bill which would have granted gay couples equal protection of their families by allowing gay couples to jointly adopt the same day it voted to give initial approval to the marriage equality bill.
Here’s a list of countries which may soon legalise marriage equlaity:
Argentina
Luxembourg
Slovenia
Iceland
Finland
Nepal
Here’s a list which may soon give ptotection to the familes of gay couples by allowing them to jointly adopt:
Argentina
Slovenia
Finland
And finally here’s a list of countries whixh may soon legalise some form of recognition of same-sex couples:
Ireland
Liechtenstein
Estonia
Robert, NYC
No. 14, Paschal…..yes I’m aware that Portugal currently does not allow gay couples to adopt, but that will probably change later as it did in Belgium after marriage equality was legalized.
One country that does allow gay couples or single gay people to adopt is the UK which does not have full marriage equality, but civil partnerships that confer virtually all the rights of marriage without the name. The recent coalition government formed between the tories and the liberal democrats is an interesting mix. The liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg has come out publicly in support of same-sex marriage equality, prior to the election. So that will be interesting to see how he will influence the governing party. All they need do is recognize civil partnerships as marriage and the deal is done. British gays also for many years have been able to sponsor their foreign born partners for residency with or without any legal union. Its truly astounding that we can’t even do that in the U.S., let alone strike down DADT.
Ireland, will soon get its own version of the UK model but not with all the rights of marriage.
Denmark is mulling marriage equality too.
Robert, NYC
No. 14, Paschal…..yes I’m aware that Portugal currently does not allow gay couples to adopt, but that will probably change later as it did in Belgium after marriage equality was legalized.
One country that does allow gay couples or single gay people to adopt is the UK which does not have full marriage equality, but civil partnerships that confer virtually all the rights of marriage without the name. The recent coalition government formed between the tories and the liberal democrats is an interesting mix. The liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg has come out publicly in support of same-sex marriage equality, prior to the election. So that will be interesting to see how he will influence the governing party. All they need do is recognize civil partnerships as marriage and the deal is done. British gays also for many years have been able to sponsor their foreign born partners for residency with or without any legal union. Its truly astounding that we can’t even do that in the U.S., let alone strike down DADT.
Ireland, will soon get its own version of the UK model but not with all the rights of marriage.
Denmark is mulling marriage equality too as is Andorra.
Jaroslaw
I already said I didn’t like this low comment rating business before it happened to me. But I’m a bit surprised when I only asked for historical accuracy.