By Dan Kennedy, Ed.D.
"We are not the first, but I am sure we will not be the last. After us will come many other countries, driven, ladies and gentlemen, by two unstoppable forces: freedom and equality." Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Prime Minister of Spain Commenting on Spain’s 2005 implementation of legal same sex marriages.
The following countries have legalized same sex marriages or civil unions: Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Union of South Africa, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland.
While not establishing legal same sex marriage or civil unions, the following countries recognize same sex partnerships for various legal purposes (e.g. immigration, inheritance and property rights): Israel, Germany, France, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain.
The following countries have provided various legal and economic rights to same sex partnerships in certain of their cities or regions: Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United States. Source: Paula L. Ettelbrick, "U.S. remains a holdout, but more nations sanction same-sex union," Daytona Beach News Journal, December 10, 2006.
Resistance to this international movement is usually based on religious beliefs. One must wonder why "God" built in genetic determinants and proclivities for same sex unions in her/his evolutionary design. Fortunately, much of the world is moving in the direction of using reason and science concerning this matter.
