Spain will legalize full same-sex marriage in '05
Spain's government sent its bill to legalize full same-sex marriage to the Congress of Deputies Dec. 30, reports correspondent Jordi Petit.
The measure also will extend adoption rights to married same-sex couples.
The bill is expected to pass the Congress of Deputies easily, then move to the Senate where progressives and conservatives are evenly split on the measure, said Petit.
If the Senate approves the bill, same-sex couples will begin marrying in April. If the Senate rejects the bill, it will return to the more powerful Congress of Deputies for a second vote that will nullify the Senate's vote against it. In that case, same-sex marriage will not be available until May or June.
'The right to marry is a right for everyone, without distinction. It cannot be understood as a privilege,' Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega told a press conference. 'The recognition of homosexuals' rights eradicates unjustified discrimination.'
Full same-sex marriage currently is permitted in Belgium, the Netherlands, eight of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, and in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
France bans antigay hate
France banned defamation, hatred and violence based on sexual orientation and gender Dec. 22.
The law, passed by the Senate and, earlier, by the National Assembly, punishes antigay activities with up to a year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ( US$60,800 ) .
The Catholic Church and Reporters Without Borders opposed the measure, fearing it infringes free-speech rights.
But Justice Minister Dominique Perben said France is 'confronted with a rise in homophobia' and must 'stand up to this negative evolution.'