Belgium Reaches 2,500
Gay Marriages
by 365Gay.com from
the Web, July 23, 2005
Brussels, July 22 -- The
Belgian government said Friday that 2,442 same-sex couples have wed since gay
marriage became legal in 2003.
Belgium became the second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage on
September 1, 2003. The first was The Netherlands. Since then Spain,
Canada, and the state of Massachusetts have followed.
The Belgian Interior Ministry said that when the law first went into effect
there was a flood of gay couples marrying but that has slowed over the past
year.
Today 3 percent of all marriages in Belgium are now between partners of the same
sex.
The Ministry said that one reason there was an early rush was that many same-sex
couples who living together for years made up for lost time.
It said that current rate is expected to remain the norm.
But, LGBT rights groups in Belgium say that some gay couples are holding off
because they cannot adopt.
That may soon change though. The Belgian Parliament is considering
adoption rights for gay couples. A vote is expected this fall.
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