News
2005-12-16
Latvia bans
same-sex marriage
Latvian lawmakers
blocked same-sex marriages by changing the Baltic
state's constitution on Thursday, infuriating gay rights
activists, who
Latvian lawmakers
blocked same-sex marriages by changing the Baltic
state's constitution on Thursday, infuriating gay rights
activists, who said they may take their case to the
European Court of Human Rights. Latvia, a former
Soviet republic that joined the European Union last
year, sees itself as a progressive democracy enjoying one of
Europe's fastest-growing economies. But many people
retain conservative views about the family and gay
rights.
"It is ridiculous
that Latvia is sinking into a homophobic society when
the rest of Europe is going the other way," said political
analyst Karlis Streips, who is gay. Spain, Belgium, and the
Netherlands have all provided marriage rights
to gays in the last five years, while a British
law permitting same-sex civil partnerships came into
effect earlier this month.
Analysts said
Thursday's amendment defining marriage as the union of a
man and a woman had effectively blocked the legal
recognition of same-sex marriages in Latvia. "Of
course we will be called homophobes and worse," said
Ainars Bastiks, minister for children and family
affairs. "But we are a democracy, and we have a right to
make our own decisions after discussions." He added:
"For conservative societies, it shows that we can
protect our values."
Latvia's
parliament passed the amendment easily, with 65 votes for,
six against, and nine abstentions, a result that drew
applause from some lawmakers. "This is not against
gays. It is supporting traditional families," said
lawmaker Oskars Kastens of the First Party, a
ruling-coalition party that proposed the amendment. "Looking
at trends in Europe, we are against liberalization of
the idea of family. It is the same in both Lithuania
and Poland."
Latvian gay
rights activists immediately denounced the decision, saying
it is discriminatory and runs counter to a European trend
toward recognizing same-sex marriages. (Reuters)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1