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Sweden sets date for gay church weddings
AFP/The Local (thelocal.se), 6-11-2008
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has said Sweden may allow homosexuals to marry in the Church of Sweden from May 2009 pending the adoption of a new law.
While heterosexuals in Sweden can choose to marry in either a civil ceremony or a church ceremony, homosexuals are only allowed to register their partnerships in a civil ceremony. But this could all change should parliament pass legislation due to be presented shortly
Sweden sets date for gay church weddings
AFP/The Local (thelocal.se), 6-11-2008
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has said Sweden may allow homosexuals to marry in the Church of Sweden from May 2009 pending the adoption of a new law.
While heterosexuals in Sweden can choose to marry in either a civil ceremony or a church ceremony, homosexuals are only allowed to register their partnerships in a civil ceremony. But this could all change should parliament pass legislation due to be presented shortly
"Sweden could have a gender neutral marriage law by May 1, 2009," Reinfeldt told Swedish Radio.Civil unions granting gays and lesbians the same legal status as married couples have been allowed in Sweden since 1995.
If the new legislation is adopted, Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, would become the first country in the world to allow gays to marry within a major church.
The Lutheran Church, which was separated from the state in 2000, has since January 2007 offered gays a religious blessing of their union. It has previously said it wants the word "marriage" reserved for heterosexual unions.
Pastors who do not want to perform a gay wedding ceremony may however have the right to refuse, something gay rights' activists have criticized.
In 2007, 74 percent of Swedes were members of the Lutheran Church.
Sweden's four-party centre-right government has been split on the issue, with the junior partner Christian Democrats also opposed to the use of the word "marriage" for homosexual unions.
However the three other parties, the conservative Moderates, the Liberals and the Centre Party, are in favour of a gender neutral law that eliminates the current reference to marriage as something between a man and a woman.
The opposition Social Democrats, the country's biggest party, also support such a law, and together the parties would garner enough support to adopt the legislation in parliament.
The issue has been a tricky one for Reinfeldt and the leader of the Christian Democrats, Göran Hägglund."The coalition government has agreed that we will present a basic marriage bill to parliament. The three parties in favour of a gender neutral marriage law will then present an accompanying motion seeking to have such a law in place by May 1, 2009," Reinfeldt said.
Hägglund said he was disappointed the coalition had failed to reach a compromise, telling news agency TT "there should have been a way to find a joint agreement."
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5/11/2008
Government remains divided over same-sex marriage
thelocal.se
Sweden’s Christian Democrats have refused to bend on the question of gender neutral marriage, forcing the government to submit a diluted marriage bill to the Riksdag with hopes that a same-sex marriage amendment will be added.
The three other parties that make up the ruling centre-right Alliance government had hoped that their Christian Democratic colleagues would agree to including language regarding gender neutral marriage in a comprehensive marriage bill.
“We haven’t had a common understanding among all the parties of the Alliance. I want to emphasize that I respect that there can be different opinions on these types of issues, despite the fact that it hasn’t been unclear how the majority feels,” said Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to Sveriges Radio.
“The Christian Democrats have repeatedly said they did not wish to register a reservation to the government’s bill and thus I’m trying to think like a results-oriented politician,” he added.
Christian Democratic leader Göran Hägglund said it was a disappointment and a failure that the government wasn’t able to reach an agreement on the issue and he criticized the other parties of the Alliance for providing so little room for negotiation.
Now the other parties must come together to submit an amendment to the government’s marriage bill, according to Moderate Party Riksdag member Tomas Tobé.
Tobé hopes that the government will soon present a marriage bill acceptable to the Christian Democrats.
But he doesn’t view the fact that the government has been forced to seek an amendment adding language about same-sex marriage as a failure.
“It’s a way to show respect for the Christian Democrats and the most important thing is to get the law in place,” he said.
Tobé is surprised that the Christian Democrats went as far as supporting a civil marriage law under which churches would be deprived of the right to perform legally-recognized marriage ceremonies.
But he added that such a model lacks any public support.
“Most people want to be able to go to church and get married,” he said.
Centre Party leader Maud Olofsson also wanted to see the government unite around a common proposal.
“It’s still gratifying that we are now in agreement about how we will deal with the issue,” she said in a statement.
“The basic value of everyone’s equal rights and worth has been the starting point for the Centre Party’s position. Therefore we’re happy now that the new legislation gives love equal value and provides the same opportunities for everyone to get also be married in a church,” she said.
3/11/2008
Swedish lesbians in historic Taj Mahal wedding
www.thelocal.se
Two young women from Sweden tied the knot at the weekend in the first known lesbian "marriage" near India's famed Taj Mahal, newspapers said on Monday.
The happy couple, known only as Sandra and Sarah, followed Hindu rituals during the ceremony which was conducted by a priest at the Mahadeva Shiva temple close to the Taj in the town of Agra.
After exchanging garlands, Sandra, 19, marked the head of 18-year-old Sarah with vermilion. They then made seven circuits around a fire in the traditional marriage custom.
The priest, Dharm Das, initially refused to "marry" the pair but relented after they gave an offering to the temple and said they would be his life-long disciples, reports said.
"Although the Hindu system of marriage doesn't allow such relationships or marriages, I am impressed with the love that the two women have for the monument of love," Das told the Mail Today.
"They had also argued that their Swedish society allows such kind of marriages."
Current Swedish law allows for same-sex couples to register civil partnerships, but stops short of allowing homosexual marriages outright. The government is currently considering a new legislative proposal which would give same-sex marriages equal footing with those between heterosexual couples.
The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth in 1631.
At Saturday's "wedding", Sandra acted as the groom while Sarah played the role of the coy bride, newspapers reported.
"We were in love with each other since childhood," Sandra said. "A few months ago we came to Agra and were mesmerized by the Taj Mahal.
"Both of us had read extensively about the emperor and his love and decided to draw a parallel and get married in the proximity of the Taj."
The couple lives together in New Delhi working for a children's charity, reports said.
The priest said the ceremony had attracted much local curiosity as homosexuality is illegal in India.
"Since it was practically a once-in-a-blue moon event in Agra, a large number of people gathered outside the temple for a glimpse of the couple," he said.
One priest told the Times of India that "foreigners are mocking our system and misusing the liberal parameters. Such waywardness must be stopped."
Εκεί που η εκκλησία είναι πιο μπροστά από το κυβερνών κόμμα!
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