Registered partnership in Denmark
Registered partnerships (Danish: registreret partnerskab) in Denmark were created by a law enacted on 7 June 1989, the world's first such law, and came into force on 1 October 1989.[1] It was extended to Greenland on 26 April 1996,[2] and later amended in 1999. Registered partnerships have almost all the same qualities as marriage. All legal and fiscal rights and obligations are like those of opposite-sex marriage, with the following two exceptions:
- laws making explicit reference to the sexes of a married couple do not apply to registered partnerships
- regulations by international treaties do not apply unless all signatories agree.
Divorce for registered partners follow the same rules as opposite-sex divorces. Registered partners must meet one of the following residency requirements to form a union: (1) one partner must be a Danish citizen and be resident in Denmark, or (2) both parties must have been resident in Denmark for two years. Citizens of Finland, Iceland, and Norway are treated as Danish citizens for purposes of the residency requirements. Additionally, the Justice Minister may order citizenship in any other country with a law similar to Denmark's be treated as a citizen of Denmark.[3]
On 17 March 2009, the Folketing introduced a bill that gives same-sex couples in registered partnerships the right to adopt jointly.[4] This bill was approved on 4 May 2010 and took effect on 1 July 2010.[5]
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[edit] Same-sex marriage
In 2006, five Social Liberal MPs introduced a resolution that asked the Government to draft a gender-neutral marriage law. The resolution was debated in Parliament and opposed by members of the conservative governing coalition.[6] The Minister for the Family, Carina Christensen, argued that registered partners already had the same rights as married partners except the ability to marry in church, and thus that gender-neutral marriage was unnecessary.
In January 2008, the Social Liberal Party's Equality Rapporteur, Lone Dybkjær, once again called for gender-neutral marriage (kønsneutrale ægteskab).[7]
The Copenhagen Mayor for Culture and Recreation, Pia Allerslev, from the conservative governing Venstre party, has also publicly supported same-sex marriage,[8] as has the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Ritt Bjerregaard.[9]
In June 2010, the Parliament once again debated a same-sex marriage bill proposed by the opposition parties. It was rejected by all parties of the governing coalition, as well as the Danish People's Party, on a 51-57 vote.[10]
In October 2011 Manu Sareen, Minister for Equality and Church Affairs in the new Danish government, announced the government is seeking to legalize same-sex marriage by spring 2012.[11] A draft bill was published on 18 January 2012. The bill introduces a gender-neutral definition of marriage and allows same-sex couples to marry either in civil registry offices or in the Church of Denmark. Individual priests will be allowed to refuse to conduct same-sex marriages. Other religious communities will also be allowed to conduct same-sex marriages but will not be compelled to do so. Existing registered partnerships have the option of converting to a marriage, while no new registered partnerships will be able to be created. The bill was under consultation process until 22 February 2012.[12][13] The new law is intended to take effect as from 15 June 2012.[14]
[edit] See also
- Axel and Eigil Axgil
- LGBT rights in Denmark
- LGBT rights in the Faroe Islands
- LGBT rights in Greenland
[edit] References
- ^ Rights for Gay Couples in Denmark
- ^ Yuval Merin, Equality for same-sex couples. Published in 2002.
- ^ "Act on Registered Partnerships, as amended". http://books.google.com/books?id=mcI7C7JgtDMC&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=denmark+registered+partnership+1999&source=web&ots=4qs6mrPJns&sig=wzA9Ta24DWY3i3wMSXPNlcLtDXI&hl=en.
- ^ Denmark parliament approves equal adoption rights
- ^ Gay adoption on the lawbooks
- ^ (Danish) B 76 Forslag til folketingsbeslutning om at indføre en ægteskabslovgivning, som ligestiller homoseksuelle med heteroseksuelle.
- ^ (Danish) R vil indføre kønsneutrale ægteskab
- ^ (Danish) Ægtefolk af samme køn, Politiken, 19 April 2009
- ^ (Danish) S og V vil kalde homo-vielser for ægteskab, Politiken, 24 August 2009
- ^ (Danish) VKO: Nej til homoægteskab
- ^ Denmark moves to legalize same-sex marriage
- ^ (Danish) Høring om lovforslag om vielse af par af samme køn
- ^ (Danish) Ministre sender lovforslag om homovielser i høring
- ^ (Danish) Lov om ændring af lov om ægteskabs indgåelse og opløsning, retspleje-loven og om ophævelse af lov om registreret partnerskab
[edit] External links
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