Gender-neutral marriage in Sweden by 2009
November 12th, 2008
The Swedish Prime Minister has announced that gay people in the country may be able to legally marry in church by 2009.
“Sweden could have a gender neutral marriage law by May 1, 2009,” said Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Swedish Radio last week.
Currently gay people in Sweden can take part in civil unions which have the same legal status as marriages. But while heterosexual people can choose to marry in a civil or a church ceremony, gay people can only register their partnerships in a civil ceremony.
74% of Swedish people are members of the Lutheran Church. Since 2007 the Lutheran Church has allowed blessings of same-sex unions, but it has previously said it wants the word ‘marriage’ reserved for heterosexual unions.
Sweden’s four-party centre-right government has been split on the issue, with the junior partner Christian Democrats also opposed to the use of the word ‘marriage’ for gay unions.
However the three other parties - the conservative Moderates, the Liberals and the Centre Party - are in favour of a gender neutral law that eliminates the current reference to marriage as something between a man and a woman.
[via Associated Foreign Press]
Well done Sweden…perhaps they could drop a line to the Irish Government and ask them to get their heads out of 1902.
Sweden.. spot on. Civil ceremonies pah! Why can’t we have marriages? It seems we have opted for a different bus. I wonder if we’ll ever get this far?