Tag: Germany

Marriage ceremonies between same-sex couples began today in Germany after a June vote of 393-226 in Parliament legalized same-sex marriage.

German’s had allowed civil unions since 2001, but the change in marriage laws now gives same-sex couples full and equal rights as Germany becomes the 15th European country to embrace marriage equality.

From the New York Times:

Cheers rang out in the City Hall of Berlin’s Schöneberg district on Sunday as two men, who met 38 years ago, when the German capital was a divided city, became the country’s first same-sex couple to legally marry.

The couple, Bodo Mende, 60, and Karl Kreile, 59, were wed in a civil ceremony, surrounded by a crush of photographers and television cameras eager to capture the historic moment.

“This is an emotional moment with great symbolism,” Mr. Kreile told reporters before the event. “The transition to the term ‘marriage’ shows that the German state recognizes us as real equals.”

Across the country, city halls that are normally closed on the weekend opened their doors to allow marriages on the first day the law took effect. Dozens of couples were expected to exchange vows in Berlin, as well as in Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover and Kiel on Sunday and the days beyond.

Among those exchanging vows on Sunday was Volker Beck, a member of the Greens party and a former lawmaker who fought for decades for marriage equality.

Months after he was showered with confetti on the floor of Parliament as the law passed, he celebrated his marriage to Adrian Petkov under shiny gold balloons spelling out “Love.”

Herzlichen Glückwunsch @Volker_Beck & Adrian! 💕#EheFürAlle pic.twitter.com/bl0HiEpLCp

— Charlotte (@MissCharlez) October 1, 2017

Germany’s marriage equality bill sailed through the upper House of Parliament with no challenges, and now heads to the desk of the German President.

From Pink News:

Equal marriage passed through the lower house in the German Parliament last week, after Chancellor Angela Merkel caved in to demands from opposition parties.

The country’s right-wing Chancellor, who has blocked equal marriage for more than a decade, reversed her long-standing policy to allowed her own MPs to vote with their conscience on the issue.

Though Merkel still cast her own vote against the law, it gathered enough support to pass through the Bundestag (lower house) by a vote of 393-296.

Today, the legislation also cleared the Bundesrat (upper house).

Unlike the Bundestag, where Chancellor Merkel’s Grand Coalition holds control, the Bundesrat is controlled by the 16 state governments, with a left-wing majority.

The law effectively passed through the house unanimously, as no state challenged the bill and no vote was called.

The Bundesrat has passed several motions on same-sex marriage before, leading to much of the political pressure on Merkel in the lower house that sparked her climbdown.

A coalition of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left previously submitted a bill to the Bundesrat that would recognise marriages between same-sex couples, which was the basis for the legislation in the Bundestag.

The law will now head to the desk of the country’s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Upon becoming law, Germany would join 13 other European nations that current celebrate marriage equality – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.