Date of Effective Legalization | Country |
---|---|
July 1, 2022 | Switzerland |
March 9, 2022 | Chile |
May 26, 2020 | Costa Rica |
Jan. 12, 2020 | Northern Ireland |
June 13, 2019 | Ecuador |
May 24, 2019 | Taiwan |
Jan. 1, 2019 | Austria |
Nov. 23, 2018 | Bermuda |
Dec. 9, 2017 | Australia |
Oct. 1, 2017 | Germany |
July 12, 2017 | Malta |
Mar. 1, 2017 | Finland |
Feb. 24, 2017 | Slovenia |
Apr. 1, 2016 | Greenland |
June 26, 2015 | United States |
Apr. 28, 2015 | Colombia |
May 22, 2015 | Ireland |
Jan. 1, 2015 | Luxembourg |
Dec. 16, 2014 | Scotland |
Aug. 19, 2013 | New Zealand |
Aug. 5, 2013 | Uruguay |
July 17, 2013 | England |
July 17, 2013 | Wales |
May 18, 2013 | France |
May 14, 2013 | Brazil |
June 15, 2012 | Denmark |
July 21, 2010 | Argentina |
June 27, 2010 | Iceland |
June 5, 2010 | Portugal |
Dec. 2009 | Mexico (some jurisdictions; see note 2 below) |
May 1, 2009 | Sweden |
Jan. 1, 2009 | Norway |
Nov. 30, 2006 | South Africa |
July 20, 2005 | Canada |
July 3, 2005 | Spain |
June 1, 2003 | Belgium |
Apr. 1, 2001 | Netherlands |
- The dates above are the dates on which the gay marriage laws went into effect, meaning couples could legally marry within the country, rather than the dates the laws were passed.
- Mexico City, Mexico legalized gay marriage in Dec. 2009, and that legalization led to a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that same-sex marriages performed in Mexico City must be recognized throughout the country. Since then, three more jurisdictions have legalized gay marriage: Quintana Roo (2011), Coahuila (2014), and Chihuahua (2015). Gay marriage is not technically legal throughout the country though the Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2015 making same-sex marriage easier and gave couples the right to ask for court injunctions against state gay marriage bans.
- England and Wales legalized gay marriage in July 2013, and Scotland followed in Feb. 2014. However, Northern Ireland does not have legal gay marriage, so the map above shows the United Kingdom as having legal gay marriage in only some jurisdictions.
- On May 5, 2017 Bermuda legalized gay marriage. On Dec. 10, 2017, Bermuda became the first country to abolish gay marriage. That law was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 6, 2018. The Bermuda government appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional on Nov. 23, 2018, legalizing gay marriage immediately. The government has 21 days to appeal and the ruling can be brought before the Privy Council in London, the final court of appeals for British overseas territories.
- On Jan. 10, 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that gay marriages should be recognized. The ruling applies to the 23 Latin American countries that are signatories of the American Convention of Human Rights. Of the signatory countries, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay had legal gay marriage before the ruling; the other countries, such as Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and Peru, are expected by the Court to change their laws. The Supreme Court of Costa Rica declared a gay marriage ban unconstitutional on Oct. 1, 2018 and required that gay marriage be made legal by May 26, 2020.
Sources:
3News Online Staff, “August 19 Wedding Date for Same-Sex Couples,” newshub.co.nz, Apr. 22, 2013
AP, “Britain Legalizes Gay Marriage as Queen Elizabeth II Gives Royal Approval,” ap.org, July 17, 2013
AP, “Chile President Signs Law Allowing Same-Sex Marriage,” abcnews.go.com, Dec. 9, 2021
AP, “German President Signs Bill Legalizing Gay Marriage,” bloomberg.com, July 21, 2017
BBC, “Colombia Legalises Gay Marriage,” bbc.com, Apr. 29, 2016
BBC, “Costa Rica Supreme Court Rules against Same-Sex Marriage Ban,” bbc.com, Aug. 10, 2018
BBC, “Denmark Approves Same-Sex Marriage and Church Weddings,” bbc.com, June 7, 2012
BBC, “France Gay Marriage: Hollande Signs Bill into Law,” bbc.com, May 18, 2013
BBC, “Inter-American Human Rights Court Backs Same-Sex Marriage,” bbc.com, Jan. 10, 2018
BBC, “Jersey to Introduce Same-Sex Marriage from 1 July,” bbc.com, June 27, 2018
BBC, “Same-Sex Marriage Bill Comes into Force in Uruguay,” bbc.com, Aug. 5, 2013
Stephen Calleja, “Malta OKs Same-Sex Marriages over Catholic Church Protest,” washingtonpost.com, July 12, 2017
Damien Cave and Jacqueline Williams, “Australia Makes Same-Sex Marriage Legal,” nytimes.com, Dec. 7, 2017
CNN, “Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Amsterdam,” cnn.com, Apr. 1, 2001
Sarah Cox, “Foreign Laws Regarding Same Sex Marriage and Civil Unions,” uconn.edu, Aug. 13, 2015
Nick Duffy, “Bermuda Court to Hear Government Appeal against Equal Marriage,” pinknews.co.uk, Aug. 27, 2018
Equality and Human Rights Commission, “The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013: The Equality and Human Rights Implications for Marriage and the Law in England and Wales,” equalityhumanrights.com, Mar. 24, 2014
Emma Farge, “Bermuda’s Top Court Deems Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional,” huffingtonpost.com, Nov. 24, 2018
Aris Folley, “Bermuda Supreme Court Overturns Ban on Gay Marriage,” thehill.com, June 6, 2018
Freedom to Marry, “International Progress Toward the Freedom to Marry,” freedomtomarry.org (accessed Sep. 16, 2013)
Julia Hollingsworth, “Taiwan Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in Historic First for Asia,” cnn.com, May 17, 2019
Hira Humayun and Sarah Cullinane, “Taiwan Voters Reject Same-Sex Marriage,” cnn.com, Nov. 25, 2018
Oscar Lopez, “Ecuador Approves Same-Sex Marriage as LGBT+ Groups Hail Landmark Week,” reuters.com, June 13, 2019
Luxembourg Times, “Same-Sex Marriages from January 1,” luxtimes.lu, July 7, 2017
Joseph Patrick McCormick, “Parliament in Greenland Unanimously Approves Same-Sex Marriage,” pinknews.co.uk, May 27, 2015
Renwick McLean, “Spain Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage,” nytimes.com, June 30, 2005
Marja Novak, “Slovenia Allows Same-Sex Marriage, but Not Adoption,” reuters.com, Feb. 24, 2017
Chris Page, “Northern Ireland Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage Laws Change,” bbc.com, Oct. 22, 2019
Shawn Pogatchnik, “‘Bold’ Ireland Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage in a Landslide,” washingtonpost.com, May 23, 2015
Pew Research Center, “Gay Marriage around the World,” pewforum.org, Aug. 8, 2017
Radio New Zealand, “Marriage Legislation Becomes Law,” radionz.co.nz, Apr. 21, 2013
Simon Romero, “Brazilian Court Council Removes a Barrier to Same-Sex Marriage,” nytimes.com, May 14, 2013
Reuters, “Switzerland Votes to Make Same-Sex Marriage Legal by Near Two-Thirds Majority,” cnn.com, Sep. 26, 2021
San Francisco Chronicle, “Canada OKs Gay Marriage,” sfgate.com, July 25, 2005
Julien Sauvalle, “Same-Sex Marriages Begin in Greenland,” out.com, Apr. 1, 2016
Nadine Schmidt and Hilary Clarke, “Austrian Court Rules Same-Sex Couples Can Marry from 2019,” cnn.com, Dec. 5, 2017
Washington Blade, “Uruguayan President Signs Marriage Bill into Law,” washingtonblade.com, May 7, 2013
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