Gay marriage legalized in canada

Same-sex marriage was progressively introduced in several provinces and territories of Canada by court decisions beginning in before being legally recognized nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act on July 20, The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two nations that allow gay marriage nationwide. But enough allies rallied to support the bill that has been debated for months, voting to to approve it.

In recent decades, Canada went through some major legal shifts in support of LGBT rights (e.g. decriminalization, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, gay marriage, homoparentality, blood donations, transgender rights and outlawing of conversion therapies). Since the first same-sex marriages were legally recognized in the Netherlands in , nearly 40 other jurisdictions — mostly in Europe and the Americas — have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. This year, Thailand and Liechtenstein join the list. 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.

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announces legislation to make same-sex marriages legal, while at the same time permitting churches and other religious groups to "sanctify marriage as they see. Article written by Kim Brown. Family law and gay rights, for example, have changed significantly, even over the past decade, but more changes are expected as the current needs of couples and families are recognized. Canada has and continues to be a global leader when it comes to gay rights; it was the fourth country in the world to legalize gay marriage.

That year, the Canadian government passed an omnibus bill decriminalizing private sexual acts between two people over the age of 21 – a breakthrough in treating gay men, lesbians and bisexuals equally under the law. A growing number of governments around the world are considering whether to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. So far, more than two dozen countries have enacted national laws allowing gays and lesbians to marry, mostly in Europe and the Americas. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while others do not.