Gay marriages in Spain
Since last Friday, when the Spanish parliament passed a bill to legalise gay marriages, the whole issue continues to cause much controversy in Spain.
The Spanish Roman Catholic church (which has been campaigning against the possibility of gay marriages ever since the Socialist government was elected) has condemned the bill and last Friday Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family, called the new legislation "profoundly iniquitous" and "inhuman" and he called on Spanish Catholic civil officials to listen to their concience and refuse to marry homosexuals, even if it meant they lost their job. The Spanish vice-president, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega made declarations to the media saying that everyone in Spain must comply with the bill.
Since then several Spanish mayors from the Popular Party have condemned the bill and announced their intention not to carry out any marriage ceremonies between gays. Lluís Fernando Caldentey a member of the Popular Party and mayor of a village in Catalonia even went as far to say that homosexuals were nutty, physically or mentally deformed individuals, who did not deserve to have the same rights as "normal" people born as "male or female". Infact Caldentey will probably not be carrying out any more civil marriage ceremonies at all as the PP hastily moved to expell him from the Party yesterday.
Other PP mayors have been less offensive but just as adament in their refusal to marry same-sex couples. The mayors of Avila, Valladolid and Leon and the vice-mayor of Valencia have all said they will not carry out marriage ceremonies between gays. Mayor Amilibia of Leon told the media yesterday that the bill was a mistake because matrimony is meant for man and woman. (Mayor Amilibia became quite well known in Spain recently when it was discovered that he included items like hair gel in his list of expenses to be funded by the Town Hall of Leon).
Yesterday afternoon the spokesman of the Popular Party said that laws had to be obeyed, and that if PP mayors did not want to carry out marriage ceremonies between gay couples then they would have to delegate in someone (according to Spanish law mayors can delegate in another member of the municipal council).
If approved by the Senate, the bill will make Spain the first Catholic country to allow gays to marry and adopt children. The controversy is expected to continue.
Update June 2005: Spanish government legalises same-sex marriages.
The Spanish Roman Catholic church (which has been campaigning against the possibility of gay marriages ever since the Socialist government was elected) has condemned the bill and last Friday Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family, called the new legislation "profoundly iniquitous" and "inhuman" and he called on Spanish Catholic civil officials to listen to their concience and refuse to marry homosexuals, even if it meant they lost their job. The Spanish vice-president, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega made declarations to the media saying that everyone in Spain must comply with the bill.
Since then several Spanish mayors from the Popular Party have condemned the bill and announced their intention not to carry out any marriage ceremonies between gays. Lluís Fernando Caldentey a member of the Popular Party and mayor of a village in Catalonia even went as far to say that homosexuals were nutty, physically or mentally deformed individuals, who did not deserve to have the same rights as "normal" people born as "male or female". Infact Caldentey will probably not be carrying out any more civil marriage ceremonies at all as the PP hastily moved to expell him from the Party yesterday.
Other PP mayors have been less offensive but just as adament in their refusal to marry same-sex couples. The mayors of Avila, Valladolid and Leon and the vice-mayor of Valencia have all said they will not carry out marriage ceremonies between gays. Mayor Amilibia of Leon told the media yesterday that the bill was a mistake because matrimony is meant for man and woman. (Mayor Amilibia became quite well known in Spain recently when it was discovered that he included items like hair gel in his list of expenses to be funded by the Town Hall of Leon).
Yesterday afternoon the spokesman of the Popular Party said that laws had to be obeyed, and that if PP mayors did not want to carry out marriage ceremonies between gay couples then they would have to delegate in someone (according to Spanish law mayors can delegate in another member of the municipal council).
If approved by the Senate, the bill will make Spain the first Catholic country to allow gays to marry and adopt children. The controversy is expected to continue.
Update June 2005: Spanish government legalises same-sex marriages.
11 Comments:
I am Spanish and no gay but I think is about time Spain is the first to do something. I do not understand all this people against the marriage in betwen gays.It doesn´t make any difference for them if they marry or not they are still going to be gays and this is what people do not want to accept.
CONGRATULATIONS GAY PEOPLE!!Now you can choose to marry or not like every one else!!!
I agree with the first comment made on this article. Either way people are going to be gay or lesbian. So just let them be happy, it doesnt even effect people who aren't gay or lesbian. People who are just want the same rights as married couples, so let them have it.
Thank you both for your positive comments. I have been with my Spanish partner for five years, and we have been unable to move to Spain to be with his aging parents due to the fact that until now we were unable to be married (immigration laws require marriage).
Instead we have had to stay in the UK which permits couples who are UNABLE to marry to stay together.
I look forward to moving to this progressive country, which will then receive our substantial tax contributions as we have a very successful business which we will also relocate to Spain.
I am sure we will not be the only ones.
I am also Spanish and hetero and I cannot be HAPPIER! Finally, everybody is treated equally, and it should be like that in all the countries of the world. To prevent gay people from marrying is as strange and unfair as to prohibit blondes to marry guys with long hair ... or with green shoes ... Go figure! I have lots of gay friends, I'm happy for them but also happy for myself. This affects me as much as it does to them. Equality and social justice is an issue that affects the whole society, not only a few.
Finally another country proves that the time for change is now and that people are people regardless of what your race is, let alone your sexual orientation. I'm happy as a Latino to know that more and more the world is starting to recognize that it is INHUMAN to deny someone the same rights as the majority of the population. That is "straight" discrimination!
I fully support Gay Marriages and believe strongly that the church should also support the marriage of committed couples of the same sex. I am more than willing to conduct such ceremonies across Europe without hesitation
Rt Revd Paul Gibson BA OSJ
Bishop of Western Europe and Titular Bishop of Macronesia
Community of St John the Divine
It is good to see that Spain is supporting equal rights for all its citizens.
Hi all guys, thats to all those str8 guys who have been supporting Gay marriages, finally we got today the New law active and efective, no a matter what Conservatives they think, we still pay taxes like somebody else too, now we will can get same rights also.
THANK YOU SO MUCH President ZAPATERO!!!!!!!!
btw, I am a partened GAY and proud to be so ;-)
This might sound strange, but i'm gay and I think gay marriage is one of the biggest disasters any civilized society can make. It is already causing problems, as a muslim leader in Barcelona has proposed polygamy for the muslim community. What next, a marriage for all citizen's own Incitatus
I am a citizen of The Fundamentalist Christian Republic of North America: formerly known as the United States of America. In order for my Spanish boyfriend and I to be together in the Land of The “Free” (as long as you are white and christian) , we have had to obtain a student visa for him despite the fact that he already has an advanced degree. The cost to keep his visa active is $9000 a year for tuition to a community college; a community college is just slightly above high school level and provides nothing for him of educational value – but it is what we can afford.
Now we have the freedom to be together; something denied to us by the current christian Taliban government in my country. Once I am eligible I will apply for my Spanish citizenship and renounce my US citizenship. Why remain a citizen of a country that does not want me? I will gladly bring my skills, my cash and my tax payment to the EU in exchange for freedom to be with the man I love.
Congratulations Chaperos!
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