Love wins again
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On Thursday, Germany joined the ranks of most of the rest of Western Europe in legalizing gay marriage after Chancellor Angela Merkel signaled she would be open to the change. [NYT / Alison Smale]
When it came time for a vote on gay marriage, Merkel cast her own ballot against it, saying she believes marriage is strictly between a man and a woman. [NYT / Alison Smale]
But the chancellor also cleared a path to the vote earlier in the week when she said that she would not work to oppose members of her own party, the Christian Democratic Union, who wanted to vote for it. [CNN / Judith Vonberg and Laura Smith-Spark]
To those outside of Germany, Merkel’s vote may come as a surprise, since she is seen as a leading liberal influence in the Western world (especially during the latest wave of right-wing populism). But on this issue, the devout Merkel has remained firm for many years. [Washington Post / Rick Noak]
Same-sex couples have been allowed to have domestic partnerships in Germany since 2001. That designation gives civil couples many of the same rights as married ones, with one notable exception: being able to adopt a child at the same time. [Washington Post / Isaac Stanley-Becker and Stephanie Kirchner]
Over the years, the national mood has shifted in Germany, with a recent poll showing 83 percent of the public supported gay marriage. Even among Merkel’s own conservative party, 73 percent supported the change. [Quartz / Aamna Mohdin]
At a recent political debate, Merkel told audience members her own stance had softened after she met a lesbian couple who were raising eight foster children together. She added that her previous concern about marriage equality was how it could impact the children of gay couples. [The Guardian / Kate Connolly]
But there was also growing political pressure on Merkel to do so, with rival parties saying they planned to put the issue to a vote in the fall. [Vox / Sarah Wildman]
Even with Germany joining the ranks of countries where gay marriage is legal, there are plenty of countries in Europe where civil partnership is still the law of the land, including Italy, Austria, and Greece. [International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association]
It was a personal decision for many in Germany, including the country’s Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks. Hendricks, a Social Democrat, told members of her party gathered outside German Parliament on Friday that she was considering asking her longtime partner to become her wife. [Der Speigel]
www.fotavgeia.blogspot.com
Getty Images
On Thursday, Germany joined the ranks of most of the rest of Western Europe in legalizing gay marriage after Chancellor Angela Merkel signaled she would be open to the change. [NYT / Alison Smale]
When it came time for a vote on gay marriage, Merkel cast her own ballot against it, saying she believes marriage is strictly between a man and a woman. [NYT / Alison Smale]
But the chancellor also cleared a path to the vote earlier in the week when she said that she would not work to oppose members of her own party, the Christian Democratic Union, who wanted to vote for it. [CNN / Judith Vonberg and Laura Smith-Spark]
To those outside of Germany, Merkel’s vote may come as a surprise, since she is seen as a leading liberal influence in the Western world (especially during the latest wave of right-wing populism). But on this issue, the devout Merkel has remained firm for many years. [Washington Post / Rick Noak]
Same-sex couples have been allowed to have domestic partnerships in Germany since 2001. That designation gives civil couples many of the same rights as married ones, with one notable exception: being able to adopt a child at the same time. [Washington Post / Isaac Stanley-Becker and Stephanie Kirchner]
Over the years, the national mood has shifted in Germany, with a recent poll showing 83 percent of the public supported gay marriage. Even among Merkel’s own conservative party, 73 percent supported the change. [Quartz / Aamna Mohdin]
At a recent political debate, Merkel told audience members her own stance had softened after she met a lesbian couple who were raising eight foster children together. She added that her previous concern about marriage equality was how it could impact the children of gay couples. [The Guardian / Kate Connolly]
But there was also growing political pressure on Merkel to do so, with rival parties saying they planned to put the issue to a vote in the fall. [Vox / Sarah Wildman]
Even with Germany joining the ranks of countries where gay marriage is legal, there are plenty of countries in Europe where civil partnership is still the law of the land, including Italy, Austria, and Greece. [International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association]
It was a personal decision for many in Germany, including the country’s Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks. Hendricks, a Social Democrat, told members of her party gathered outside German Parliament on Friday that she was considering asking her longtime partner to become her wife. [Der Speigel]
www.fotavgeia.blogspot.com
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