Same-sex marriage in Belgium

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Same-sex marriage
Performed nationwide in
Belgium (2003)
Canada (2005)
Netherlands (2001)
Spain (2005)
Performed statewide in
Massachusetts, USA (2004)
To be performed in
South Africa (by 2006)
Debate in other countries and regions
Aruba
Australia
China
Estonia
France
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
New Zealand
Portugal
Romania
United Kingdom
United States: CA NY WA
See also
Civil union
Registered partnership
Domestic partnership
Same-sex marriage timeline
Listings by country

On January 30, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage. As in the Netherlands (the first country to legalize same-sex marriage), this was achieved when the Christian Democrats were not in power. Originally, Belgium allowed the marriages of foreign same-sex couples only if their country of origin also allowed these unions. New legislation enacted in October 2004, however, now permits any couples to marry in Belgium if at least one of the spouses has lived in the country for a minimum of three months. [1]

According to the Belgian Official Journal, approximately 300 same-sex couples were married between June 2003 and April 2004 (245 in 2003 and 55 in 2004). This constituted 1.2 percent of the total number of marriages in Belgium during that period. Two thirds of the married couples were gay male couples; the remainder were lesbian couples. On 22 July 2005, the Belgian government announced that a total of 2,442 same-sex marriages had taken place in the country since the extension of marriage rights to same-sex couples two and a half years earlier. [2]

The same-sex marriage law did not permit adoption by same-sex partners; and as birth within a same-sex marriage did notimply affiliation, the same-sex spouse of the biological parent had no way to become the legal parent. On December 1, 2005 a proposal to permit adoption was approved by the Chamber of Representatives of the parliament. It was passed in April 2005, thereby enabling legal co-parenting by same-sex couples. [3]

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