May 26, 1989 - Gay Marriage Rights - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Denmark becomes first country to legalize gay and lesbian relationships. Gay men, lesbians and bisexuals have been breaking down barriers for decades, especially in Western nations. Many countries have passed laws to protect people from losing their jobs, housing and basic rights on the basis of sexual orientation. But those protections seldom extend to gay men and lesbians wanting to be treated as a couple. On May 26, 1989, Denmark became the first country to grant gay and lesbian couples rights and responsibilities similar to heterosexual married couples. While it did not require churches to marry them, it did allow them to register with the government in civil ceremonies. Norway, Sweden and Iceland followed suit in 1996, and Finland a few years later. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to grant gay and lesbian couples full marriage rights, followed by Belgium in 2003, Spain and Canada in 2005 and South Africa in 2006. While the U.S. doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage, the state of Massachusetts became the only state to offer this legal recognition. Other countries have followed by granting domestic partnership rights that give gay and lesbian couples certain protections, even if not complete “marriage.” While it is unlikely Israel will allow same-sex marriage any time soon, their supreme court in November 2006, ordered the government to recognize marriages performed in other countries.

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