Althingi, the parliament of Iceland, this afternoon voted to change the country’s marriage laws. 49 of the country’s 63 MPs voted in favour of the bill and none voted against. The law changes the wording of the law so that marriage is the legal union of two individuals and not only of a man and a woman.
It was also decided to end the country’s system of registered partnerships for same-sex couples, meaning marriage will become their only option – as was always the case for opposite-sex couples.
Althingi members welcomed the move after the vote, saying today is a great day for everybody everywhere involved in the struggle for gay rights and human rights generally.
The bill will go to the President for ratification; but that is a formality as the Icelandic President has only twice sent a bill to public referendum in the history of the Republic of Icelandic. Also, public opinion polls suggest the marriage bill is extremely popular.
Iceland’s Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, became the world’s first openly gay leader in February 2009.
Til hamingju Ísland! Great day and a leader (and hopefully a role model) for human rights around the world!
..But bans lap dancing.
This Red-Green government is just offensive in its discrimination policies.
” It’s OK and normal if we say its okay and normal but we know best”.
What next setting a quota the number of woman on the boards of companys.. wait no, they already did that.
How about a quota for the number of woman on RUV television programs?
Wait, that’s exacrtly what the extremists in the Center for Gender Equality wants.
Ridiculous and offensive, but true.
Hm, it seems to me that when you are a straight guy Iceland is not the place for you. :-)
Niels did write :
>Hm, it seems to me that when you are a straight guy Iceland is not the place for you. :-)
Icelanders are tolerent of the different life style but these Red-Greene extremists are just offensive.
What is depressing is that the party of the usual standing up for such tolerence and personal freedoms and liberty in society — Independence Party — is not doing its job in parliament in this.
More and more we are returning to ” old system ” with Social Democrats in power ( helped by the traitor to his supporters Steingrímur J. in Left Greens ) — except now we have worst of both worlds — intolerent power centralizing state monopoly liking left wingers that want to remove the power of our parliment over making our laws — to get their ideas implemented from above by the EU.
Ideas that are not the ideas of the people of Iceland but the ideas of these state power ” I know best ” refugees from 1978, most of all Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and her faction.
Steingrímur J. may have been against beer for every one except him self but atleast he is for self determination by Icelandic people ( or so he claims ) — not like Social Democrats.
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/03/09/no-to-icesave-does-not-damage-icelands-credit-rating/#comment-125271
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/03/24/iceland-outlaws-striptease/#comment-131992
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/04/14/majority-want-to-ban-striptease/#comment-72451
And just in case any one does get it wrong — I think that this making same sex couples marry is fair.
Having couples together in stable situation weather they are straight or gay is healthy.
But is this encourage in the tax system? Of course not. Not under Social Democrats.