When was gay marriage legalixed in spain

The Spanish Bishops Conference lashed out at the law, saying that with it and a bill passed Wednesday making it easier for Spaniards to divorce, "marriage, understood as the union of a man and a woman, is no longer provided for in our laws. In its first display of anti-government activism in 20 years, it endorsed a June 18 rally in which hundreds of thousands of people marched through Madrid in opposition to the bill.

Gay activists wept with joy and thanked lawmakers by blowing them kisses. Parliament has legalized gay marriage, angering conservatives and clergy as it made heavily Roman Catholic Spain the world's third country to grant full recognition to same-sex couples, even letting them adopt children.

was an important year for the LGBT community because on June 30, the Spanish parliament voted to legalize gay marriage, and Spain became the fourth country in the world to do so, following in the footsteps of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada. The gay marriage bill was the boldest and most divisive initiative of the liberal social agenda Zapatero has embarked on since taking office in April Under the divorce law reform, couples can end their marriage without a mandatory separation period or having to state a reason, as required under the old legislation.

Canada's House of Commons passed legislation that would legalize gay marriage by the end of July as long as the Senate also passes the bill, which it is expected to do. Outside the stately 19th-century chamber, activists waved the rainbow flags symbolizing the international gay rights movement.

Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in , while Thailand y Liechtenstein They were the last to do so. Some 20 bishops took part. Gay couples can get married as soon as the law is published in the official government registry, which could happen as early as Friday or within two weeks at the latest, parliament's press office said.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Spain since July 3, In , the nation's newly elected government, led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of the Socialist Workers' Party, began a campaign to legalize same-sex marriage, including the right of adoption by same-sex couples.

The seat Congress of Deputies approved the measure Thursday by a vote of with four abstentions. I am not going to get married. After the final tally was announced, activists watching from the spectator section of the ornate chamber cried and cheered, waving to lawmakers and blowing them kisses.

20 years that same-sex marriage was legal in Spain has been approved in at least 39 countries, according to International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy said Zapatero has deeply divided Spain and should have sought a consensus in parliament that recognized same-sex unions but didn't call them marriages.

But it is important for this to be called marriage so people know that it is the same thing for everyone," he added. Several members of the conservative opposition Popular Party, which vehemently opposed the bill, shouted: "This is a disgrace. Zapatero lacks a majority in the chamber but got more than enough help from small regional-based parties that tend to be his allies.

He said his party is considering challenging the law before the Constitutional Court, Spain's highest tribunal. Conservative opposition lawmakers said they might challenge the law in court, while the church issued a veiled call for civil authorities who oppose gay marriage to refuse to wed same-sex couples.

In debate before the vote, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the dry language of the Spanish reform masks "an immense change in the lives of thousands of citizens. We are not legislating, ladies and gentlemen, for remote, unknown people. [1] After much debate, a law permitting same-sex marriage was passed by the Cortes Generales (the.

We have been fighting for many years," said Beatriz Gimeno, a longtime leader of the gay rights movement in Spain. The Roman Catholic Church, which held much sway over the government just a generation ago when Gen. Francisco Franco was in power, adamantly opposed gay marriage.

The bill became law immediately. Zapatero has also pushed through legislation allowing stem-cell research and wants to loosen Spain's restrictive abortion law. We are expanding opportunities for the happiness of our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives. Spain was the third country in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to equate marriage with same-sex unions.

The Senate, where conservatives hold the largest number of seats, rejected it last week, but that chamber is only an advisory one and final say on legislation rests with the Congress of Deputies. The former allows gays to adopt children, but Belgium so far is just considering it.

The bill, a divisive plank in the ruling Socialists' platform for social reform, gives homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual ones. Oscar-winning Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar, who is gay, said 21st-century families are different and don't have to reflect the traditional Catholic model.

Rajoy said that if the vast majority of countries don't accept gay marriage, including some run by Socialists, there must be a reason. The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two countries that recognize gay marriage nationwide.