In April 2015, the US territory of Guam lifted their ban on same-sex marriage.
This puts them ahead of at least 13 US states which still have laws on the books preventing
equal marriage for all.
In fact, the issues of gay rights, including marriage, have become increasingly relevant
in just the past few years, with multiple countries stepping up to legalize same-sex
marriage.
So where is same-sex marriage legal?
Well, currently, marriage between two people of the same sex is officially legal in 18
countries, with legislation enacted in Slovenia, and partial legality in the US and Mexico.
In the US, it is recognized on a federal level, with thirty-six states, plus Washington DC
and Guam allowing legalized gay marriage.
The first country to end marriage discrimination was the Netherlands.
It may seem surprising today, but that legislation wasn’t passed until as recently as the year
2000.
In 2003, Belgium also legalized the practice, but prevented same-sex couples from adopting
children until 2006.
In 2005, both Spain and Canada followed suit.
Spain legalized because of the election of a progressive, socialist government, that
campaigned for the issue.
Canada then did so because more than three quarters of their territories and provinces
had already established marriage as a gender-neutral issue.
In 2006, South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that banning same-sex marriage was inherently
unconstitutional, making it the first African country to change their views.
In 2009, both Sweden and Norway, allowed current and future civil unions to be considered “legal
marriages”.
In 2010, Portugal, Iceland, and Argentina also made the shift.
Most significantly, Iceland elected an openly gay Prime Minister in 2009.
Since 2013, Brazil, France, Uruguay, New Zealand, the UK, Luxembourg (), and Finland have all
passed bills giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
With so many countries enacting equality legislation, the US is definitely falling behind.
Despite the overturning of the controversial “Defense of Marriage Act”, which led to
the federal recognition of same-sex marriage, gay marriage is still not legal in 13 states.
It seems as though it is only a matter of time until gay marriage becomes a universal
human right.
America's pretty divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, but the problems run even deeper.
While other minorities are protected by law from discrimination, the lgbt community is
not.
Watch that video at the link in the description.
and thanks for watching TestTube!