It was all but a formality, but Sweden’s parliament has finally passed legislation overwhelmingly supporting the legal marriage of same-sex couples in churches and in civil ceremonies. The law will officially take effect on 1 May to the happiness of gay couples across the nation.
Known as the gender-neutral marriage law, parliament approved the landmark bill [...]
It was all but a formality, but Sweden’s parliament has finally passed legislation overwhelmingly supporting the legal marriage of same-sex couples in churches and in civil ceremonies. The law will officially take effect on 1 May to the happiness of gay couples across the nation.
Known as the gender-neutral marriage law, parliament approved the landmark bill by a wide majority. Homosexual Swedes have been allowed to legally marry in civil unions since 1995. They enjoy the same legal status as any other married couple, but church ceremonies were not possible.
The new law will change all that, making Sweden one of the world’s first nations to allow gays to marry in a major church. The Lutheran Church, which is Sweden’s biggest church and former state religion and claims 74 percent of Swedes as members, has offered gays their religious blessing since 2007, according to The Local.
But it won’t be until October that the Lutheran Church’s leaders will decide if they want to sanction actual gay marriages inside their churches. Individual pastors can still refuse to administer the service even though the church must provide a minister to supervise the rites. However, it seems likely that the church will follow suit and continue to pave the way for forward-thinking policies.