Oh Spain!

[DrTeeth]

Spanish MPs approve gay marriages

Spain's lower house of parliament has voted in favour of allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children.

The controversial decision overrules last week's rejection of the bill by the upper house, the Senate.

The bill will become law in a month's time, making Spain Europe's third nation after the Netherlands and Belgium to allow same sex marriages.

Polls suggest most Spaniards back the move, although two weeks ago thousands joined a Madrid rally against the bill.

We knew this was coming, but now it's official!

 

[BonosSaint]

Good.

 

[Popmartijn]

They're good people, those Spaniards.
And they make excellent wine!

 

[pax]

Wow, 2 in one week!

Congrats to Spain, and to the gay community and their family and friends there.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Now they must try to get those gays to make babies, get the birthrates up, something not fixed by adoption.

 

[Maggie1]

Good job Spain!

 

[dandy]

excellent news!

 

[LadyRhia]

Wow, 2 in one week!

Congrats to Spain, and to the gay community and their family and friends there.

I hear you there! I wish our government would "see the light."

 

[verte76]

Cool!

 

[trevster2k]

You can't single out gay people as the reason for low birthrates.

Good for Spain.

 

[Se7en]

cujo,

how do you feel about these spanish eyes now?

love,
sesevenen

 

[Irvine511]

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

More good news. Really helping my faith in humanity.

Way to go, Spain .

Angela

 

[deep]

It is spreading over the globe

like a plague

EUROPE

In a number of countries in Europe, the status of "registered partnership" has been established.

In 1989, Denmark became the first country to institute legislation granting registered same-sex partners the same rights as married couples. Church weddings are not allowed.

Norway, Sweden and Iceland all enacted similar legislation in 1996, and Finland followed suit six years later.

The Netherlands became the first country to offer full civil marriage rights to gay couples in 2001.

In neighbouring Belgium gay marriages were allowed in 2003.

In June 2005, Spanish MPs voted in favour of allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children. The bill is set to become law in July.

The lower house was able to overrule the Senate, which rejected the bill.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to register for "life partnerships" since 2001. The law only gives couples the same inheritance and tenants' rights as heterosexual married couples.

France in 1999 introduced a civil contract called the Pacs, which gives some rights to cohabiting couples, regardless of sex. These do not include the full rights of marriage, notably over taxes, inheritance and adoption. In 2004, a mayor conducted the country's first gay marriage, but it was later nullified by a court.

In Luxembourg, a law on civil partnerships largely inspired by the French model was introduced in 2004.

In Britain, legislation due to come into force in December 2005 will give same-sex couples in registered partnerships similar rights to married couples, in areas such as pensions, property, social security, and housing.


CANADA

In June 2005, Canada's parliament approved a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. It is expected to win Senate approval and become law by July, making Canada the third country after the Netherlands and Belgium to allow gay marriages. Gay marriage is already legal in eight of 10 provinces and one of Canada's three territories.

NEW ZEALAND

In December, 2004, New Zealand's parliament passed controversial legislation to recognise civil unions between gay couples.

THE UNITED STATEs
"ONE NATION UNDER GOD"

Many states have passed amendments to their constitutions defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Congress has failed to approve a similar amendment to the US constitution.

President George W Bush has made clear that he supports such an amendment.

 

[DrTeeth]

It's a revelution baby and it can't be stopped!

 

[financeguy]

It is spreading over the globe

like a plague

The all pervading tentacles

of the homosexualist agenda. (joke)

 

[Anthony]

Viva la Espana.

Ant.

 

[Irvine511]

i'm so proud of Spain, and so disappointed in the US. yet again.

what made the USA great -- our dynamism -- is slowly ebbing away, and other countries are making an embarassment of us.

USA -- let's do better. let's join the 21st century instead of regressing into the 19th.

another thought: doesn't this give added incentive for gay people to leave the United States? i'm talking about doctors, lawyers, scientists, artists, writers ... much of our homegrown talent (and, yes, much of our talent in the arts especially is gay) might depart for more hospitable climates. we've always been the most welcoming country on earth, we've been open and accepting of anyone from (almost) anywhere because we do a good job of letting people become who they want to be, and these immigrants pay the USA back tenfold (think Einstein) with both their accomplishments and the depth and richness they add to that indefinable thing called American culture.

now, what if Einstein were gay? what if there is a gay Einstein who is married and wants to work or immigrate in the U.S.? what if an employer or university over here is eager for his skills and ability? our immigration services won't recognize his spouse -- so what is to happen? are we to have a policy of family break-up in immigration policy? a policy of refusing to let foreign gay couples immigrate? or what if Einstein were Spanish and his husband was American, would only one get to live here and the other be forced to live in Spain?

we're shooting ourselves in the foot.

 

[Irvine511]

The all pervading tentacles

of the homosexualist agenda. (joke)

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

keep it quiet. we don't want anyone to know.

 

[financeguy]

 

[martha]

homosexualist

I love this word.

Would that more countries would give in to the homosexualist agenda.

 

[anitram]

It's a revelution baby and it can't be stopped!

In 50 years, I think kids will look back on our time and wonder who these backwards people were, sort of how we wonder today about the racists of the south.

 

[deep]

Who are you to question God?

If he wanted us to mix
he would not have made different races.

 

[echo0001]

we're shooting ourselves in the foot.

We're getting good at that, aren't we?

Yay, Spain!!

 

[joyfulgirl]

This is terrific news, especially for my friend and his Spanish boyfriend.

 

[martha]

Spanish boyfriends

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Espana!

 

[LadyRhia]

I was watching a segment on the news last night about this http://www.newyorkblade.com/2005/7-1/arts/main/mtv2.cfm

Of course some groups are saying it would be bad for our children.

 

[redkat]

Who are you to question God?

If he wanted us to mix
he would not have made different races.

Did you mean genders?

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Of course some groups are saying it would be bad for our children.

And yet those groups have yet to show exactly how that'd be true...as always.

to Irvine's post, too. We can be so stubborn sometimes, which can be a benefit in some cases...and a curse in others, like this one. I hope the day will come when America joins up with countries like Canada and Spain and them on this issue, and I hope it will come soon.

Angela