"the Marriage Act"". Since the bill has become law however, opposition to same-sex marriage has significantly decreased, being under 25% according to a 2016 poll. A poll conducted by the ""Waikato Times"" in August 2012 found that 46% of Waikato residents supported same-sex marriage, while 39% were opposed. The Legalise Love campaign was launched in August 2011 to promote legal marriage and adoption equality in New Zealand, and a protest was organised at the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in October that year. In December 2012, former Governor-General Catherine Tizard starred in an online video campaign organised by the Campaign for"
"the British Indian Ocean Territory have legalized same-sex marriage. In a 2011 UN General Assembly declaration for LGBT rights, state parties were given a chance to express their support or opposition on the topic. Only Armenia, Georgia, Cyprus, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, and East Timor expressed their support. They were later joined by Vietnam and the Philippines. State parties who expressed opposition were Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Maldives, North Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Syria, Afghanistan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Other Asian parties did not"
"Zealand (2013), the United Kingdom (2014), Luxembourg (2015), the United States (2015), Ireland (2015), Colombia (2016), Finland (2017), Malta (2017), Germany (2017) and Australia (2017). In Mexico, same-sex marriages are performed in Mexico City (2010) and in twelve states: Quintana Roo (2012), Coahuila (2014), Chihuahua (2015), Nayarit (2015), Jalisco (2016), Campeche (2016), Colima (2016), Michoacán (2016), Morelos (2016), Chiapas (2017), Puebla (2017) and Baja California (2017), as well as in some municipalities of Querétaro (2015), but same-sex marriages are legally recognized throughout the country. Austria will begin performing same-sex marriages by January 2019. South Africa is the only African country"
"the legalization has been proposed or is pending. Since 2014, homosexuality is legal in all 51 countries, 5 disputed territories and 6 dependencies and other territories of Europe, becoming in the first continent where homosexuality is legal completely. As of September 2018, homosexuality is legal in 8 of 14 countries (Australia , Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau and Vanuatu) and in 11 of 12 territories (American Samoa, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Tokelau, United States Minor Outlying Islands and Wallis and Futuna) of Oceania. However, all the countries and"
"and took effect on 19 August 2013. In the first year after the law came into effect, 926 same-sex marriages were registered in New Zealand, including 532 marriages (57.5%) between New Zealand citizens, and 237 marriages (25.6%) between Australian citizens. Samoa is a deeply conservative Christian nation. In 2012, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was dismissive of the idea of same-sex marriage being adopted in Samoa, and indicated that he would not support it. He reiterated this position, on explicitly religious grounds, in March 2013. The religious status of same-sex marriage has been changing since the late 20th century and"
"LGBT rights in Oceania Oceania is, like other regions, quite diverse in its laws regarding homosexuality. This ranges from significant rights granted to the LGBT community in New Zealand, Australia, Guam, Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Pitcairn Islands to remaining criminal penalties for homosexual activity in 6 countries and one territory. Although acceptance is growing across the Pacific, violence and social stigma remain issues for LGBTI communities. This also leads to problems with healthcare, including access to HIV treatment in countries such as Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where"
"legalizing same-sex marriage with effect from 16 December 2014. Australia became the second nation in Oceania to legalise same-sex marriage when the Australian Parliament passed a bill on 7 December 2017. The bill received royal assent on 8 December, and took effect on 9 December 2017. The law removed the ban on same-sex marriage which previously existed and followed a voluntary postal survey held from 12 September to 7 November 2017, which returned a 61.6% ""Yes"" vote for same-sex marriage. The same legislation also legalised same-sex marriage in all of Australia's external territories. On 26 March 2013, Prime Minister Frank"
"first foreign same-sex marriage was registered on 29 April 2014 and the first civil unions began on 14 June 2014. On 12 July 2017, Malta legalized same-sex marriage with a near unanimous parliamentary vote. The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriages on 1 April 2001. The possibility exists in its European territory as well as the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba) while those marriages can be registered in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Same-sex marriage is legally performed in Norway. The Norwegian government proposed a gender-neutral marriage law on 14 March 2008,"
"the homosexual age of consent is set higher at 18, while the heterosexual age of consent is 15. Same sex sexual activity is illegal at any age for males in Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu; it is outlawed for both men and women in the Solomon Islands. In all other places the age of consent is equal, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. The below is a list of all jurisdictions in Oceania as listed in List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania. Australia is a federation of States and Territories, with"
"LGBT rights in New Zealand Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have the same rights as other people in New Zealand. The protection of LGBT rights is advanced, relative to other countries in Oceania, and is one of the most liberal in the world, with the country being the first in the region and thirteenth in the world to enact same-sex marriage. Throughout the late 20th century, the rights of the LGBT community received more awareness and male same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1986, with an equal age of consent of 16 to heterosexual intercourse. After recognising civil"
"at any household registration office, and Taiwan will officially be the first country in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. Same-sex civil marriages are legally recognized nationwide in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland, Jersey, Alderney and Sark), Luxembourg, Ireland, Malta, Germany and Finland. In a number of other European countries, same-sex civil unions give similar or identical rights to marriage. A poll conducted by EOS Gallup Europe in 2003 found that 57% of the population in the then 15-member European Union supported same-sex marriage. Support among the member states who"
"marriages. Consular marriages for same-sex couples were popular in Australia prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2017. 445 couples had married in British consulates across Australia by October 2017. The status of marriage differs in the three Crown dependencies of Britain and the fourteen Overseas Territories. Of the fourteen overseas territories of Britain, same-sex marriage is currently allowed in nine: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Same-sex marriage in the"
"in Oceania where homosexuality is illegal the penalty is not enforced ""de facto"" and in some cases the legalization has been proposed or is pending. Worldwide, as of September 2018, homosexuality is legal in 135 of 193 countries (in the UN), in 7 of 9 disputed territories (with the exceptions of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Somaliland) and in 50 of 51 territories (with the exception of the Cook Islands) by a total of 192. However, in various countries where homosexuality is illegal the penalty is not enforced ""de facto"" and in some cases the legalization has been proposed or"
"difficult for same-sex couples to adopt children. The first country to legalize same-sex marriages was the Netherlands (2001), while the first marriages were performed in the Amsterdam city hall on April 1, 2001. , same-sex marriages are legal nationally in twenty-three countries: the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Spain and Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway and Sweden (2009), Portugal, Iceland and Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil, France, Uruguay, New Zealand (2013), United Kingdom (without Northern Ireland — May 22, 2015), Luxembourg (2014), Ireland (2015), Colombia (2016), Finland, Germany, Malta (2017), Australia, (2018) and in India 2018. In Mexico, same-sex marriage"
"Brian Gilley. On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition. Court decisions, starting in 2003, each already legalized same-sex marriage in eight out of ten provinces and one of three territories, whose residents comprised about 90% of Canada's population. Before passage of the Act, more than 3,000 same-sex couples had already married in those areas.[1] Most legal benefits commonly associated with marriage had been extended to cohabiting same-sex couples since"
"same-sex marriage following the Supreme Judicial Court's decision six months earlier. Before nationwide legalization, same-sex marriage became legal in 36 states; 24 states by court order, 9 by legislative action, and 3 by referendum. Some states had legalized same-sex marriage by more than one of the three actions. On June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in ""Obergefell v. Hodges"" that states must license and recognize same-sex marriages. Consequently, same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands. Officials in American Samoa are"
"custody and property when relationships end. Some regions have laws specifically excluding same-sex couples from particular rights such as adoption. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to recognize same-sex marriage. Since then same-sex marriages were subsequently recognized in Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Portugal (2010), Iceland (2010), Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil (2013), France (2013), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013), Luxembourg (2015), Ireland (2015), the United States (2015), Colombia (2016), Finland (2017), Germany (2017), and Australia (2017). Austria and Taiwan will legalise same-sex marriage in 2019, and Costa Rica in"
"the 13th nation to allow same-sex marriage. The Bill came into effect on 19 August 2013, since then married same sex couples in New Zealand have been able to adopt children jointly. At the third reading, Wall gave a speech likening the passing of the Bill to Treaty of Waitangi settlement acts previously passed by the New Zealand Parliament. She stated the passing of the Bill was like winning a ""World Cup final"". Wall was named in the Silver Ferns 1989 team, aged 17, having been an outstanding athlete and scholar at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College. Inspired by watching the All Blacks"
"became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, with the law coming into effect on 1 April. During that day, Job Cohen, the Mayor of Amsterdam, married four same-sex couples after becoming a registrar specifically to officiate weddings. The bill had passed the House of Representatives by 109 votes against 33. Although same-sex marriages can be performed in the European territory of the Netherlands and the Caribbean Netherlands territory including Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, same-sex marriages performed in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, which are constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, are"
"country in the world to recognise same-sex marriage. The case was heard on May 17, 2005, by Langa ACJ, Madala J, Mokgoro J, Moseneke J, Ngcobo J, O'Regan J, Sachs J, Skweyiya J, Yacoob J and Van Der Westhuizen J. MTK Moerane SC (with S. Nthai) appeared for the applicants, P Oosthuizen (with T Kathri) for the respondents, JJ Smyth QC for the first and second ""amici curiae"", GC Pretorius SC (with DM Achtzehn, PG Seleka and JR Bauer) for the third ""amicus curiae"", DI Berger SC (with F Kathree) for the applicants, and M Donen SC for the respondents."
"homosexuality is criminalised. The British Empire introduced conservative social attitudes and anti-LGBT laws throughout its colonies, including those located in the Pacific Ocean. Opponents of LGBT rights in Oceania have justified their stance by arguing it is supported by tradition and that homosexuality is a ""Western vice"", despite anti-LGBT laws themselves being a colonial British legacy. Several Pacific countries have ancient traditions predating colonisation that reflect a unique local perspective of sexuality and gender, such as the ""fa'afafine"" in Samoa and ""fakaleiti"" in Tonga. LGBT rights in Oceania Oceania is, like other regions, quite diverse in its laws regarding homosexuality."
"Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen) by a total of 20. However is legal in 29 countries, in all 4 territories, and in a few countires of Asia where homosexuality is illegal the penalty is not enforced ""de facto"" and in some cases the legalization has been proposed or is pending. In Oceania, homosexuality is illegal in 6 of 14 countries (Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu) and in 1 of 12 territories (Cook Islands) by a total of 7. However, it is legal in 8 countries, in 11 territories and in all the countries and territories"
"the state of Washington, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (whose first same-sex marriage certificate went to a male couple), and the Santa Ysabel Tribe. Also in 2013, same-sex marriage was legalized in Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Utah, and same-sex couples who had a partner facing a terminal illness were allowed to get married in Illinois starting in 2013 rather than waiting until June 2014 implementation date. Jonipher Kwong and his partner Chris Nelson were the first same-sex couple to marry in Hawaii. However, several weeks after same-sex marriage was legalized in Utah a"
"2010 upon promulgation by the Argentine President. Argentina thus became the first country in Latin America, the second in the Americas, and the tenth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Australia became the second nation in Oceania to legalise same-sex marriage when the Australian Parliament passed a bill on 7 December 2017. The bill received royal assent on 8 December, and took effect on 9 December 2017. The law removed the ban on same-sex marriage which previously existed and followed a voluntary postal survey held from 12 September to 7 November 2017, which returned a 61.6% ""Yes"" vote for"
"the end of 2014. On 27 May 2016, Nauru decriminalised homosexuality. LGBT history in Nauru Nauru is a small island nation in Oceania. Homosexuality was criminalised in 1899, when the island was a German protectorate. The current sodomy laws were introduced in 1921 when the island was under Australian rule and are based on the Criminal Code of Queensland. Those laws were retained following Nauruan independence in 1968. In January 2011, Mathew Batsiua, Minister for Health, Justice and Sports, stated that the decriminalisation of ""homosexual activity between consenting adults"" was ""under active consideration"". In October 2011, the government pledged to"
"Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Notes: The first jurisdiction to explicitly ban same-sex marriage in its Constitution was the U.S. state of Alaska in November 1998, however, same-sex marriage was legalised in the state in October 2014. The first jurisdiction to enact such a ban and still has it enforced is the Cayman Islands, which is a British Overseas Territory, in June 2009. Currently, four jurisdictions worldwide have constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. Those are three British Overseas Territories, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Mexican state of Yucatán. Notes: Same-sex union legislation"
"commissioned by ""The Royal Gazette"", found that 48% of Bermudians supported same-sex marriage, 44% were against. Same-sex marriage in Bermuda Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It first became legal on 5 May 2017, when the Supreme Court of Bermuda declared that same-sex couples had a legal right to marry in the territory after a couple filed suit against the Bermudian Government. However, a bill to ban same-sex marriage and establish domestic partnerships was passed by the Parliament in December 2017 and went into effect on 1 June 2018, though same-sex marriages performed before"
"Solomon Islands, Malawi, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Kiribati and Tonga. Homosexual activity remains a criminal offence in 36 of the 53 sovereign states of the Commonwealth; and legal in only 18. However, developments in the area of employment discrimination suggests some progress being made, with member states such as the Seychelles (2006), Fiji (2007), Mozambique (2007), Mauritius (2008) and Botswana (2010) introducing legislation against employment discrimination on sexual orientation. In November 2012, Malawi's President Joyce Banda suspended all laws that criminalised homosexuality. A report produced in November 2015 by the Human Dignity Trust in association"
"receive a marriage license in the territory's capital, Hagåtña. The first couple to marry was Deasia Johnson of Killeen, Texas and Nikki Dismuke of New Orleans, who married each other in a brief ceremony in the office of Public Health Director James Gillan on the morning on June 9, 2015, the day the island territory became the United States' first overseas territory to recognize same-sex marriage. 139 same-sex couples wed on the island from June 2015 to October 2016. 67 of these couples were Guamanian residents, 12 were from the Philippines, 9 from Taiwan, 6 from the state of California"
"states and territories often may grant recognition to same-sex couples in their own jurisdictions, although unitary states with a level of devolution, such as Spain or the United Kingdom, also offer such legalities to local authorities. The first jurisdiction to enact unregistered cohabitation was British Columbia in Canada in July 1992. The first jurisdiction to legalize registered partnership was Greenland as part of the Kingdom of Denmark in April 1996. Finally, the first sub-national jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage was the Canadian province of Ontario in June 2003. As of December 2018, there are twenty-nine jurisdictions worldwide have legalized some"
"the ""Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017"" in the Australian Parliament. The 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, designed to gauge public support for same-sex marriage in Australia, returned a 63.6% ""Yes"" response in Tasmania. Sodomy was originally outlawed throughout the island from the time of British settlement. The law was retained post federation as in all other Australian jurisdictions. Tasmania was the last British Empire outpost to carry out the death penalty for sodomy in 1867. Over the subsequent hundred years, Tasmania had the highest rate of imprisonment for private consenting male sex anywhere in the world."
"the U.S. Supreme Court. The Pacific island of Guam was set to be the first U.S. territory to offer legal same-sex marriage after Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson, Guam's attorney general, directed the territorial Department of Public Health and Social Services to begin processing same-sex marriage licenses on April 15, 2015. However, the department director and Governor Eddie Calvo pushed back on Barrett-Anderson's directive, which they said was not binding. In May, the Guam District Court denied territorial officials' request to delay the case until the Supreme Court ruled in ""Obergefell"". Decided on June 26, 2015 in a 5-4 decision, ""Obergefell"" requires all"
"Status of same-sex marriage The legal status of same-sex marriage has changed in recent years in numerous jurisdictions around the world. The current trends and consensus of political authorities and religions throughout the world are summarized in this article. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriages, with the first marriages performed in the Amsterdam city hall on 1 April 2001. Since then, same-sex marriages have been performed legally in Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Portugal (2010), Iceland (2010), Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil (2013), France (2013), Uruguay (2013), New"