Mapped: Where is same sex marriage legal in the world?

By Raziye Akkoc

7:03AM BST 21 May 2015

It has been more than a decade since the first country legalised gay marriage and now Ireland is set to be the first nation to legalise it by referendum on Friday.


The Yes campaign is widely expected to win anywhere between 60 and 75 per cent of the vote, though some say the country's more conservative church going, elderly and rural communities could yet turn out in force for the No campaign.


In 2001, the Netherlands made gay marriage legal and went further in giving gay people opportunities previously denied by granting the right to adopt children.


The UK approved same sex marriage last year under the Coalition of Lib Dems and Conservatives.


Over the past twelve years, nearly 20 countries have legalised gay marriage and 37 states in the US have done so, as this map shows, using data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

According to the ILGA, Luxembourg, Finland and Slovenia were the most recent countries to approve gay marriage earlier this year. Although it has been approved, same sex marriage will be in force from March 2017 in Finland.

Anne-Marie Thus and Helene Faasen as well as three male couples were married in the first legal same sex marriage ceremony in the world on April 1, 2001 by Job Cohen, the mayor of Amsterdam.

But it was Denmark who first approved civil partnerships in 1989 for gay couples.

In the US, 37 states have legalised gay marriage but the issue has returned to the forefront of American political debate. The Supreme Court justices began looking at whether gay marriage should be legal across the US, guaranteed by the Constitution.

In Mexico, gay marriage is legal in some parts including in Mexico City.

Despite there being a lot of movement towards more gay rights across the world, Stonewall said there was much more to be done to guarantee equality for gay people worldwide.

"We know that equal marriage in Britain is incredibly important to same-sex couples, their families, friends, congregations and communities. The same is no doubt true in Ireland.

"Equal marriage remains an important step toward full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, but there still remains much more to do to ensure full equality is achieved," a spokesman for the charity said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/11621812/Mapped-Where-is-same-sex-marriage-legal-in-the-world.html

Structure of the Lead:
WHO- Ireland
WHEN- Friday
WHAT- Ireland is set to be the first nation to legalise it by referendum
WHY- equal marriage remains an important step toward full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people
WHERE- Ireland
HOW- by referendum

Keywords:

1. referendum- 公民投票權；請示書

2. grant- 給予

3. coalition- 聯合政府

4. bisexual- 雙性戀的

5. intersex- 陰陽人

6. forefront- 最前線

7. congregation- 集合；會眾