Portugal Allows Marriage

From Wikinews:
"Same-sex marriage allowed in Portugal"

On May 17, 2010, the Portuguese President, Anibal Cavaco Silva, signed into law a bill that allows same-sex marriages, making the predominately Catholic Portugal the eighth country in the world where same-sex marriage is allowed country-wide. The law will become effective within a few days, after publication in the official gazette.

The new law removes the previous legal stipulation that marriage is between two people of different sexes. Gay rights activists note that the law does not include provisions for same-sex couple's parental rights, including adoption, for which they say they will continue to fight.

In 1982, homosexuality was decriminalized in Portugal. In 2001, "civil unions" were granted to same-sex couples and provided certain legal, tax and property rights. However, the União de Facto limited a surviving partners ability to inherit his or her partner's possessions or state pensions.

Portugal will become the sixth country in Europe to legalize same-sex marriages (after Belgium, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden). Canada and South Africa also have legalized same-sex marriage.

^ Along with the countries mentioned above gay marriage is also allowed in Mexico City and certain parts of the US (Washington DC, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont.) I don't see an issue with giving homosexuals the exact same rights (ie inheritance, adoptions, parenting, health care, insurance, etc) as a husband and wife have. Just because you want equal rights for gays and lesbians doesn't make you gay (or a lesbian) just like the Whites who helped fight for Black civil rights didn't make them Black. ^

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_allowed_in_Portugal