Same-sex marriage in Iceland

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Iceland since 27 June 2010. A bill providing for a gender-neutral marriage definition was passed by the Icelandic Althing on 11 June 2010.^[1] No members of Parliament voted against the bill, and public opinion polls suggest that the bill is very popular in Iceland.^[2] Iceland became the ninth country in the world to have legalized same-sex marriage.

Registered partnership

Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in Europe

  Marriage

  Foreign marriages recognized

  Other type of partnership

  Unregistered cohabitation

  Unrecognized

  Constitution limits marriage to opposite-sex couples

---- Includes laws that have not yet gone into effect.

Registered partnerships (Icelandic: staðfest samvist) for same-sex couples were introduced in Iceland in 1996. It was adopted by the Althing on 4 June by a vote of 44–1 and entered into force on 27 June 1996.^[3][4][5] This legislation was repealed with the passing of the gender-neutral marriage law.

The legislation granted the same range of protections, responsibilities and benefits as marriage, and was only available to same-sex couples. All parties in the Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, were in favour of the law.^[6][7]

On 8 May 2000, the Icelandic Parliament approved amendments, in a 49-1 vote, to the registered partnership law. Foreigners could enter a registered partnership if they had been residing in Iceland for at least two years. Another amendment allows for a person in a registered partnership to adopt the biological child of his or her partner, unless the child was adopted from a foreign country. Iceland became the second country in the world, after Denmark, to grant same-sex couples some adoption rights.^[8]

On 2 June 2006, Parliament voted for legislation granting same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals in adoption, parenting and assisted insemination treatment. No member of Parliament voted against the proposal and the law came into effect on 27 June 2006.^[9]

An amendment which took force on 27 June 2008 allowed the Church of Iceland and other religious groups to bless same-sex registered partnerships.^[10]

Notable Icelandic individuals joined in registered partnership included the then-Prime Minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, and her partner, Jónína Leósdóttir.^[11] On 27 June 2010, they had their registered partnership transformed into a recognized marriage.^[12][13][14]

Same-sex marriage

The Government of Iceland, elected in April 2009, announced the introduction of a gender-neutral Marriage Act at some point in the future. The 'Government Coalition Platform of the Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement', published on the 19 May 2009 stated that "A single marriage act will be adopted." Though it was not explicitly stated, it implied that the act would be gender-neutral.^[15][16] The opposition Progressive Party also supported gender-neutral marriage.^[17]

On 18 November 2009, the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Ragna Árnadóttir, confirmed that the Icelandic Government was working on a "single marriage act" which would include both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.^[18] On 23 March 2010, the Government presented a bill to repeal the registered partnership law and allow couples to marry regardless of gender.^[19][20] On 11 June 2010, the Icelandic Parliament approved the bill 49 to 0, with 7 abstentions and 7 absences.^[21][22][23] The law took effect on 27 June 2010.^[24]

Public opinion

A February 2000 Gallup opinion poll showed that 53% of Icelanders supported lesbians’ and gay men’s right to adopt children, 12% declared their neutrality and 35% were against the right to adopt.^[25]

A July 2004 Gallup poll showed that 87% of Icelanders supported same-sex marriage. Furthermore, a Fréttablaðið opinion survey in November 2005 showed that 82.3% of the population supported lesbians’ legal right to seek assisted pregnancy.^[25]

See also

• LGBT rights in Iceland
• Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe

References

1. Dwyer Arce (11 June 2010). "Iceland parliament approves same-sex marriage legislation". JURIST - Paper Chase. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
2. "Iceland parliament votes for gay marriage". IceNews. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
3. "320. mál lagafrumvarp Lög nr. 87/1996, 120. löggjafarþingi.". Althingi (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
4. "Lög um staðfesta samvist". Althingi (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
5. "Iceland : Recognized partnership law, 1996". France QRD. 1 July 1996. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
6. "ILGA Euroletter 42, June 1996". France QRD. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
7. "ILGA Euroletter 43, August 1996". France QRD. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
8. "Adoption of Stepchildren in Gay and Lesbian Families in Iceland". Gay Ottawa Now!. 13 June 2000. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016.
9. "Important Improvements in Gay and Lesbian Rights in Iceland". ILGA-Europe. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
10. "First Lesbian Couple in Iceland "Marries" in Church". Iceland Review. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
11. Moody, Jonas (30 January 2009). "Iceland Picks the World's First Openly Gay PM". Time. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
12. Lloyd, Peter (28 June 2010). "Iceland's Prime Minister marries long-term partner". Pink Paper. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
13. Brocklebank, Christopher (28 June 2010). "Icelandic PM weds as gay marriage legislation comes into effect". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
14. "Jóhanna og Jónína í hjónaband". RÚV (in Icelandic). 27 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
15. "Government Coalition Platform of the Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement". Eng.forsaetisraduneyti.is. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
16. "Iceland: Homosexuality and the Law". Gayice.is. 30 July 2009. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
17. "Framsóknarflokkurinn sendir frá sér ályktun um hjónabandslöggjöfina". Samtökin '78 (in Icelandic). 26 January 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014.
18. "Unnið að setningu einna hjúskaparlaga". mbl.is. 18 November 2009. Archived from the original on 25 November 2009.
19. "Iceland Likely to Permit Gay Marriage by June". CarnalNation. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
20. "Iceland is fine-tuning marriage-equality bill". Sdgln.com. 10 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
21. "Hjúskaparlög, staðfest samvist o.fl. (ein hjúskaparlög)". Alþingi (in Icelandic). 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
22. "Atkvæðagreiðsla". Alþingi (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
23. "Iceland passes gay marriage law in unanimous vote". Reuters. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
24. "New gay marriage law in Iceland comes into force". Ice News. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
25. ""Regnbågsfamiljers ställning i Norden Politik". NIKK Publikationer. July 2004. Page 269

External links

• "Lög um breytingar á hjúskaparlögum og fleiri lögum og um brottfall laga um staðfesta samvist (ein hjúskaparlög)". Alþingi (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.