Gay Today: World

Denmark Expands Marriage Rights

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Denmark's parliament voted 61 to 48 May 20 to extend the rights of gay and lesbian couples who get married under the nation's registered-partnership law.

Among the changes:

* Registered gay couples from Norway, Sweden and Iceland -- which have nearly identical partnership laws -- will be recognized as such when in Denmark;

Non-Danes will be able to register their partnership in Denmark if they have lived in the country for two years;

Registered partners will be allowed to adopt each other's children unless the child was originally adopted from a foreign country.

The changes take effect July 1.

Denmark's partnership law is identical to heterosexual marriage in all ways except the state health service will not inseminate lesbians, gay couples cannot adopt foreign children, the state Lutheran church does not have to perform gay weddings, and foreign gay couples must be in the country for two years before they can marry.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Denmark: Gay Ambassador and his Partner Meet Queen

Danish Politician Marries Gay Lover

Danish Queen Invites Gay Couple to Royal Ball

Related Sites:
Denmak Gay & Lesbian Organization

Bent Hansen, head of the National Association for Gays and Lesbians, said: "We welcome and celebrate this step towards total equality between the heterosexuals and us. Especially the possibility of adoption of stepchildren is an important signal recognizing the fact that gay and lesbian couples do have children. We have known that for a very long time; now the politicians also have realized that.

"But in celebrating this victory we must not forget that we have not yet reached full equality," Hansen said. "The next step must be abolition of the stupid law forbidding public health services to assist lesbians in artificial insemination. The politicians have realized that we have children, now we must convince them that we should also be allowed to get children."