Unless recent public opinion polls are wrong, Ireland will become the world’s first country to legalize gay marriage in a voter referendum this weekend. So how unique is that globally?
Voters in the predominantly Catholic country will vote to accept or reject a change to Ireland’s constitution on Friday. The referendum language plainly states the amendment: “‘Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.” The language was approved by Ireland’s parliament in March.
While the vote is a symbol of change in a nation that had outlawed consensual homosexual acts until 1993, globally Ireland would become the 19th nation to recognize same-sex marriages by statute or legal decision. (It is the constitutional referendum conducted by popular vote in Ireland that is unique.)
According to Freedom To Marry, an advocacy group, 18 countries have approved a nationwide right to marry for same-sex couples. Netherlands was the first country, in 2001, to allow same-sex marriages after a vote in parliament changed that nation’s laws.
Then, Belgium, Spain and Canada approved gay marriage via legislative votes in the next four years. South Africa’s change came first in a judicial decision in late 2005 that led to legislative approval.
Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, France, Uruguay, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Finland have endorsed same-sex marriage in legislative votes.
In 2013, Brazil starting allows same-sex marriages through judicial decisions.
Freedom To Marry says that in addition to the United States and Mexico (where gay-marriage rights are regional), Slovenia, Australia and Colombia are debating a national right to marriages for same-sex couples.
As of today, various polls in Ireland had projected Yes votes in the referendum ranging from 63 percent to 73 percent on the referendum’s eve.
