Catholic Portugal Moves to Allow Gay Marriage
Portugal’s parliament approved a measure Friday to legalize gay marriage, paving the way for the conservative Catholic nation to become the sixth in Europe to allow homosexuals to get married. The bill now goes back to a committee for review before a final vote. Then if the president signs it – as he’s expected to do – Portugal’s first gay wedding could take place around April.
The measure passed parliament along party lines with the support of the ruling Socialists led by Prime Minister Jose Socrates. He said the bill aimed to remedy decades of injustice toward gays in Portugal.
“I am of a generation – as we all are – which is not proud of the way it treated homosexuals,” Socrates told lawmakers. He also sought to reassure more conservative Portuguese citizens about the move.
“This is a step that will seem completely natural in the near future, in the same way that gender equality, abortion rights and unmarried couples living together are normal now,” he said.
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