Countries that approved gay marriage before usa

Use the interactive table below to sort the places allowing same-sex marriages by name, region and the year legal same-sex marriage took effect. It came into effect in Germany Europe Legislation passed after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of her ruling Christian Democratic Union should vote their conscience even though the party formally opposed same-sex marriage.

The same is true in many Asian countries and a few eastern European nations. The map above shows which countries have fully legalized same sex-marriage as of 1 Octoberbut does not show those that have alternative arrangements such as civil unions and/or domestic partnerships.

Netherlands Europe First country to legalize same-sex marriage after its Parliament passed the law in December Norway Europe The law replaced a statute permitting civil unions. Gay rights activists said the stunt made a mockery of the institution of marriage at a time when gay and lesbian couples are still barred in most countries from marrying one another.

This article contains a timeline of significant events regarding same-sex marriage and legal recognition of same-sex couples worldwide. Sweden Europe Gay and lesbian couples in Sweden previously had been allowed to register for civil unions since Taiwan Asia-Pacific A court ruling prompted a change in the law that made Taiwan the first jurisdiction in Asia to permit gay and lesbian couples to wed.

The table also includes some key facts about the process in each jurisdiction. Slovenia Europe First country in formerly communist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex marriage. DUTCH PIONEERS: The Netherlands in became the world's first country to legalize gay marriage.

Mexico Latin America-Caribbean Same-sex marriage eventually became legal nationally after the Supreme Court declared state bans unconstitutional in Inthe federal government directed all local governments to register same-sex marriages.

Belgium Europe Second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage after its neighbor, the Netherlands. Same-Sex Marriage Around the World Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands innearly 40 other jurisdictions – mostly in Europe and the Americas – have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

The prize: tickets to next year's Rugby World Cup in Britain. Russia is an example of a nation that does not necessarily criminalize same-sex couples, but the government places serious restrictions on people who are gay, which is still a way of censoring relationships that are not heterosexual.

Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands innearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Before US gay marriage

Events concerning same. Greece Europe First majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list. Same sex marriage is legal in 38 countries which have a combined population of billion people (around 20% of the world’s population).

South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Only African country where same-sex marriage is legal; several countries on the continent have passed laws in recent years that ban homosexuality. Malta Europe Parliament voted almost unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage.

Spain Europe Third country globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote in its closely divided Parliament. United Kingdom Europe Legal same-sex marriage took effect in Northern Ireland insix years after the change in England and Wales. This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list.

It begins with the history of same-sex unions during ancient times, which consisted of unions ranging from informal and temporary relationships to highly ritualized unions, and continues to modern-day state-recognized same-sex marriage.

While gay and lesbian couples can marry, there is not yet a marriage equality law on the books. Estonia Europe The law amended legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions and made Estonia the first Baltic country to legalize same-sex marriage.

Denmark Europe Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in Ecuador Latin America-Caribbean A court ruling made Ecuador the fifth South American country to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

Fact Sheet. Table of Contents. June 2, Austria Europe A court ruling in eventually led to the change.