CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Spain's Parliament may approve same-sex marriages early next year, justice minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar said Wednesday. He spoke a day after lawmakers took a first step in that direction, approving a nonbinding resolution urging the Socialist government to amend Spain's civil code to permit gay marriage. Lopez Aguilar said legislators will start reforming articles in the code as early as September and that gay marriage could become a reality early next year. "It's a challenge that this government wants to undertake, to remove a border of inequality," Lopez Aguilar said after meeting with representatives of gay and lesbian groups. "It is a fair cause that doesn't offend anyone." If the law is approved, it will make Spain the third European country to recognize gay marriages after the Netherlands and Belgium. It is also legal in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Gay rights campaigners welcomed the preliminary vote in parliament's lower house. "Finally, 28 years after our constitution was approved after a long struggle, we see how our right to equality is being recognized," said Beatriz Gimeno, president of the National Federation of Gays and Lesbians. Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has vowed to institute deep changes on social issues after eight years of conservative rule. On the day he was confirmed as prime minister, he told parliament that he vowed to allow gay marriage and fight discrimination. This was followed days later with the appointment of a cabinet of eight men and eight women, including a female deputy prime minister. The Socialists' first bill submitted to parliament calls for tougher penalties for violence against women. The government also wants to ease Spain's strict law on abortion, give full legal status to common-law marriages, and adopt a more liberal policy on assisted reproduction. Pope John Paul II recently expressed concern about Zapatero's ideas, fearing they might weaken family values in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
'Parents' Rights' movements forget families have the right to read LGBTQ+ books
April 17 2024 10:15 AM
This gay man had to flee Ghana after a violent attack. He’s finally been granted asylum
April 17 2024 9:17 AM
Ohio court temporarily blocks ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth
April 16 2024 5:33 PM
How library workers are defending books, democracy, and queer lives
April 16 2024 4:38 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedKentucky couldn't pass a single anti-LGBTQ+ bill this session — and it's not alone
April 16 2024 2:35 PM