Fresh Eight Places You CAN Get Married

The past few weeks of politics, propositions, and protests have made everyone very aware of the places that gays and lesbians cannot get married. California took itself off the list, Connecticut was added onto it, and Arizona and Florida asked to not even be considered for it at this time. Hopefully, the many many members of the LGBT community working so hard to reverse these bans and create a society where a list like this is useless (because questioning whether or not you can marry the person you love will be as silly as it sounds) will succeed in their fight and there will be endless options when it comes to planning our weddings. For now, however, we couldn’t even come up with our usual Fresh Ten list this week and had to settle for the following eight places that have decided to recognize love as love and demonstrate equality for all. So, here are our Fresh Ten Eight Places You CAN Get Married.

8. Norway. Beginning in 2009, same-sex marriage will be available in Norway. The first parliamentary hearing, including the vote, was held on June 11, 2008 approving by 84 votes to 41 a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry.

7. The Netherlands. Became the first country to allow same-sex marriage in 2001.

6. Belgium. On January 30, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage.

5. Spain. Same-sex marriage became legal in Spain on Sunday, July 3, 2005 making it the third country in the world to do so, after the Netherlands and Belgium.

4. Canada. On July 20, 2005, just 17 days after Spain, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the approval of the Civil Marriage Act.

3. South Africa. Same-sex marriage became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 when the Civil Unions Bill was enacted after having been passed by the South African Parliament earlier that month. A ruling by the Constitutional Court on December 1, 2005 had imposed a deadline of December 1, 2006 to make same-sex marriage legal. South Africa became the fifth country, and the first in Africa, to legalize same-sex marriage.

2. Massachusetts. Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry.

1. Connecticut. Connecticut joined Massachusetts as the other state in the US that performs marriages of same-sex couples on November 12, 2008.

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