As Australian gay couples travel to New Zealand to tie the knot, we take a look at great destinations around the world allowing gay marriage.
New Zealand
Our neighbour across the Tasman has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific to allow same-sex couples to marry.
NZ parliamentarians approved reforms legalising gay marriage in April.
The change is being applauded around the world, and some gay Aussie couples are planning on flying across the ditch to wed.
Paul McCarthy and Trent Kandler from Newcastle in NSW will become the first Australian same-sex couple to marry in NZ. Their ceremony will be held in Wellington on August 19, the day the Marriage Amendment Act takes effect.
Their marriage won’t be legally recognised in Australia but it’s unlikely to put a halt on celebrations.
France
Gay couples can also now marry in France, with the country legalising same-sex marriage in May.
The first official gay marriage took place that same month in the southern city of Montpellier, and hundreds of guests and media attended.
The bill allowing same-sex marriage was signed into law on May 18, however it has caused much contention and demonstration in the country.
California
Aussie musician Darren Hayes chose the sunny state of California for his third marriage with Richard Cullen.
The couple has also “tied the knot” in London in an unofficial ceremony, and again when same-sex civil partnerships were introduced in Britain.
In June, a US federal court lifted a ban on same-sex marriage in California with immediate effect.
Australian actress Portia De Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres also exchanged vows in California, at the couple’s LA home.
The Netherlands
It was the Dutch who took the first step to allowing gay couples to marry, by legalising same-sex marriage in 2001.
The law had strong support, with the Dutch parliament voting 107-33 in favour of eliminating discrimination from marriage laws, according to freedomtomarry.org.
Four couples (one female and three male) were married by the mayor of Amsterdam in the city hall.
Afterwards, gay couples rushed to tie the knot there.
Britain
As of 2014, gay couples will be declaring their love at wedding ceremonies across the UK.
British MPs are among the latest to pass a bill to legalise gay marriage, and Queen Elizabeth II has given her royal stamp of approval.
The law doesn’t take immediate effect, as the government is working through the finer details of related legislation, but ceremonies are expected next year.
Australian celebrities, including Dannii Minogue and comedian Josh Thomas, have come out in support of the change.
In June, the Australian Senate voted against a private member’s bill to amend the Marriage Act so that Australia’s marriage laws recognised gay couples who wed overseas.
The bill was put forward by the Australian Greens but rejected by 44 votes to 28.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay and France. It is also legal in some American states, and regions of Brazil and Mexico.
Author: Jennifer Ennion
Publication: total travel
Date: 22 July 2013