T0 HAVE AND TO HOLD
A Look At Homosexual Marriages in 1997
DANIEL T. SUMMERS, JR.
staff writer
Currently, throughout the world, marriage is a right
only granted to heterosexual couples. In the past
few years, much has changed concerning gay mar
riages. The Netherlands may be the first national
government to grant homosexuals the same rights as
heterosexuals. Last April, the Dutch house of repre
sentatives passed, by a vote of 81-60, a resolution
imploring the Dutch government to submit draft leg
islation legalizing gay marriages by August 1, 1997.
Five European nations already allow gay and les
bian couples to marry, though only with special laws
designed for homosexuals. Denmark, Norway, and
Sweden have basically identical "registered partner
ship" laws granting homosexual couples all the rights
and obligations of heterosexual matrimony, exclud
ing access to adoption, church weddings, and artifi
cial-insemination services. Iceland's law is similar,
except that a gay spouse is allowed to adopt his or
her partner's biological child.
In 1989, Denmark was the first nation to pass a
registered partnership law. Norway followed in 1993
and Sweden in 1995. Gay partnerships became le
gal in Iceland on June 27, 1996, Iceland's gay pride
What age is the most appropriate to get married?
|HHK
"As soon as you're
ready to feed
yourself that damn
wedding cake."
- Man Wilke
February 14, 1997
day.
Hun
gary, in
1 9 9 6,
enacted
a differ
ent con
cept of
gay mar
riage. In
May, the
Hungar
ian par
liament
K
Hfe jclSflife
"I'd say 30 because
it gives you time to
settle down."
■ Craig Berube
world
voted to legalize common-law gay marriage, heed
ing a 1995 constitutional court ruling that mandated
the change. The ruling was unexpected and did not
result from any gay campaigning. Gay Hungarian
lovers, who live together, have all rights of matrimony,
excluding the right to adopt children.
However, these gay marriages are legal only in
these nations. They are not legal for foreign couples
who travel to these countries to be married. At least
one member of the couple must be a citizen of the
nation and must be living there at the time of the mar
riage.
The United States is in heated debate over homo
sexual unions as well. A Hawaiian circuit court judge
ruled in December of 1996 that the state's ban on
same-sex marriages was unconstitutional under state
law. Kevin Chang, the judge, the next day granted
the state's motion to delay the ruling pending one more
appeal to the Hawaii state supreme court. If the rul
ing is upheld, as most predict that it will be, then the
only way for Hawaii to prevent same-sex marriages
would be an amendment to the its constitution. While
a movement to amend the constitution is underway,
it could not be effected before the end of 1998. Hence,
Hawaii will more than likely begin issuing marriage
licenses to same-sex couples by the end of this year.
The United States' passage of the Defense of Mar
riage Act in 1995, which bans federal recognition of
same-sex marriages, along with similar legislation in
16 states, does not seem to deter the supporters of
homosexual unios and the movement is not confined
to the islands. For example, this month in Fort Lau
derdale, Fla., almost 200 couples are expected to join
together in a mass commitment ceremony as part of
the city's Winter Gayla 97.
Guilford College Justice and Policy Studies pro
fessor Dr. Richard Kania is unsettled by the decision
of the Hawaiian courts. "They have no precedent for
their decision to equate same-sex unions to conven
tional Euro-American marriage patterns. Thus, I do
"27, because any
later than that,
people start wishing
they were married."
- Otis Morgan
The Guilfordian
feel that
they are le
gaily
wrong and
without le
gal foun
dation in
their rul
ing s .
Judges
may refine
the law,
but ought
not to
make it
from
whole cloth. They are obligated to obey the doc
trine of stare decisis , to go with precedent. Only
legislatures can bring about new definitions and ar
rangements. So I object to what the Hawaiian courts
have ruled. If the legislative action of the state de
cides to redefine marriage, it has the lawful power
to do so," states Dr. Kania.
According to Max Carter, Campus Ministry Co
ordinator, there is no longer a single Quaker stance
on marriage. Concerning the issue of same-sex mar
riages, Carter responded, "It has been a divisive is
sue in the North Carolina Yearly Meetings, with
some monthly meetings within the Conservative
Yearly Meeting sanctioning same gender commit
ment and others not. The main body of Friends in
NC has stated that marriage is a relationship of one
man to one woman for life."
The shape of marriage in the world and the coun
try will change drastically, if developments continue.
Organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign
and the Christian Coalition will be advocating their
respective viewpoints in the coming months. The
only definite statement that can be made concern
ing the condition of marriages in 1997 is that there
will be more. Of what type, the future only knows.
"What does
appropriate mean?"
• Marc Aaron Bernstein
HE
. 1m
"12 years old. It
should be
mandatory to be
hitched at a drive-up
chapel."
-John Clinton
5