Same-sex marriages
You can think that in the liberal and illuminated world we live in it should be obvious for all grownups to marry whomever they want, regardless of sex or heritage. Unfortunately, that is not the case. However, the world is getting better and today the acceptance is far bigger than just 20 years ago when it comes to same sex relationships. In what we call the western world, a large part has a very liberal look at same sex marriages while in the east and in Africa they are not as tolerant.
The situation in Europe
In many countries same sex marriages are not allowed since marriage has been declared as a union between man and woman in the constitution of the country. In some countries however, there is the possibility for a Registered Partnership or a Domestic Partnership giving the couple almost the same status as a marriage. This is possible in countries like for example Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Serbia. There is some worry about the development in the EU. In Denmark same sex couples have been able to register their partnerships since 1989 and from 2011 it is allowed to join in a classic marriage in the Danish “Folkkyrkan”. In Sweden it has been possible to join in a civil marriage between same sex since the May 2009 when the gender-neutral marriage law came into force. If you want a religious ceremony it is a decision for the religious community where you live. In the Swedish church it is possible to have a same sex wedding after a decision in the Church-meeting in November 2009. This decision, however, gives the priest the opportunity to choose whether he would like to conduct the ceremony or not.
Int the USA
In the USA, the rights for same sex marriages are controversial and widely charged. Up to 2015, two people of the same sex could get married in 36 states. There are however no federal laws forcing the states to consider or adopt equal rights for same sex marriages. After June 26 of 2015 it is legal for same sex couples to get married all over America, including the District of Columbia. The reason is that the Supreme court of USA voted that the obstacles on marrying couples of the same sex run counter to the constitution. It is worth mentioning that even though there is a federal law giving rights to same sex marriages, some states are opposed.
Debated issue
The right to same sex marriages can be found all over the western world. Among the advocates you can find liberals, the HBTQ movement and socialist organisations. They, of course, argue that same sex shall be equal to regular marriages to the law. The main argument is that a same sex marriage isn´t any different to those living as man and woman. The opponents are mainly the conservative organisations. Some advocates that a registered partnership with certain rights could work while some of the organisations are completely against homosexual relationships. As an argument, they mean that the marriage between a man and a woman can be found in all cultures around the world and that modern research shows that the relations between man and woman are adapted from human nature. A same sex marriage goes against the Convention of the Rights of the Child from the UN where it says that children should grow up with the biological parents and this is something a same sex marriage can´t offer.
