December 5, 2005

Gay Marriages, Civil Unions Around World

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 5:13 a.m. ET

A look at the situation regarding same-sex unions around the world:

EUROPE

-- 1989: Denmark becomes the first country to grant same-sex partners the same rights as married couples. Church weddings are not allowed.

-- 1996: Norway, Sweden and Iceland enact similar legislation, and Finland follows six years later.

-- 1999: France introduces a civil contract that gives some rights to cohabiting couples, regardless of sex. These do not include the full rights of marriage, notably over taxes, inheritance and adoption.

-- 2001: The Netherlands becomes the first country to offer full civil marriage rights to gay couples. Germany allows same-sex couples to register for ''life partnerships.'' The law gives couples the same inheritance and tenants' rights as heterosexual married couples.

-- 2003: Belgium legalizes gay marriages.

-- 2004: Luxembourg allows civil partnerships based on the French model.

-- June 2005: Spain allows gay couples to marry and adopt children.

THE UNITED STATES

Many states have passed amendments to their constitutions defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and banning both gay marriage and civil unions. Other states, and some localities, have gone in the other direction:

-- 2000: Vermont becomes the first U.S. state to offer homosexuals the right to join in civil unions, giving them the same benefits as married couples on matters such as life insurance, health care and child custody.

-- 2004: Massachusetts becomes the first state to issue marriage licenses for gay couples. In Oregon, officials in the Portland area begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples before an amendment to the state constitution banning such weddings is approved by voters.

-- 2004-5: San Francisco starts issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the new mayor defied state law and allowed gay weddings. The move is later annulled by the state Supreme Court, but a San Francisco judge rules the law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

-- April 2005: Connecticut becomes the second U.S. state to allow same-sex civil unions and the first to do so without orders from a court. But it specifically defines marriage as being the union of a man and a woman.

CANADA

-- June 2005: Canada legalizes same-sex marriages.

NEW ZEALAND

-- 2004: New Zealand's parliament approves civil unions between gay couples.

AFRICA

-- Thursday: South Africa's highest court rules that preventing gay people from marrying is unconstitutional, paving the way for South Africa to become the first to legalize same-sex unions on a continent where homosexuality remains largely taboo. The court gives Parliament a year to make the necessary legal changes.