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Albanian Gay Rights Law, Minus Marriage


Albania x390 (Photos.com) | Advocate.com

Gay rights advocates in Albania are welcoming the partial victory of an antidiscrimination law parliament passed Thursday. The law includes protections for LGBT people, but it drops a provision to legalize same-sex marriage that drew international attention this past summer.

According to Reuters, “The bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation, but has widely come to be known in Albania as the gay law because of the publicity [Prime Minister Sali] Berisha gave their cause.”

Religious groups successfully lobbied against the proposal to recognize same-sex marriage as part of the law, however.

“Approved by the ruling Democratic Party and its allies in parliament late on Thursday, the law does not allow same-sex marriage as promised by Prime Minister Sali Berisha,” reports Reuters. "Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities condemned the idea.”

The Alliance Against Discrimination, an Albanian gay rights group, hailed the antidiscrimination law as a strong start despite the loss of the marriage equality provision.

“This law is not simply a fulfillment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalization,” said a statement issued by the group. “Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians.”

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Incognito
    Date posted: 12/4/2010 2:12:47 AM
    Hometown: Tirana

    Comment:

    This so frustrating to read, as an albanian gay man I can tell you that The Law they approved is no more than a mere "setting" of their "Government Properties". Albanian Gay men do not come out of the closet their entire life, mostly who do is because they have established their selves elsewhere. We fear for our lives in this country, thats a shame, all I see is lies.

  • Name: dennis
    Date posted: 2/5/2010 8:45:56 PM
    Hometown: minneapolis

    Comment:

    i agree with Jester. a country like albania gives gays more federal rights than does the great USA. sad. albania, the "backward" land in Europe.

  • Name: Raul
    Date posted: 2/5/2010 4:14:33 PM
    Hometown: El Paso

    Comment:

    For at least a (nominally) Muslim country, I'm impressed!

  • Name: Marko
    Date posted: 2/5/2010 1:17:31 PM
    Hometown: Sofia, Bulgaria

    Comment:

    All EU members have anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation. Even the Western European ones. It's funny because in the same time most of them ban gay marriage and gay adoption, so the governments break the law themselves.

  • Name: Jester
    Date posted: 2/5/2010 11:19:01 AM
    Hometown: Oakland

    Comment:

    Hmpf. Albania. “the bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of [...] sexual orientation," – that's more than we have in the U.S.!



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