Being the kind of progressive nation that it is, it was only a matter of time before Iceland passed this law. The Alþingi today voted to remove the clause in the marriage law which distinguishes between civil unions and marriages, allowing gay couples to officially be married under Icelandic law. All reference to gender has now been removed from the law, which instead now refers to “two individuals”.

The law was approved with 49 votes in favour and 0 against, although 14 were absent from the vote. The change in the law extends all marriage rights to any couple, regardless of the gender the individuals.

The law was initially met with strong opposition from Christian groups in Iceland, who feel that the law goes against the word of God, some going so far as to say it was “discrimination” against their beliefs. The proposal was well received by many groups, however, including The Icelandic Confederation of Labor (ASÍ) and The Free Church of Reykjavík.

We at the Enquirer wholeheartedly welcome the decision. In fact, one of our team is already planning his wedding underneath Seljalandsfoss. We couldn’t think of a more romantic location!

Source: grapevine.is, mbl.is
Image: borkur.net

Labels: Gay rights, Gender