Excellent news! South Africa’s Supreme Court has ruled that the South African Constitution, which guarantees equal rights for lesbians and gays, requires the state to recognize same-sex marraiges.<\/p>\n
From Reuters <\/a>(hat tip: This Space For Rent<\/a>):\n The Constitutional Court told parliament to amend marriage laws to include same-sex partners within the year — a step that runs counter to widespread African taboos against homosexuality.<\/p>\n “The exclusion of same-sex couples from the benefits and responsibilities of marriage … signifies that their capacity for love, commitment and accepting responsibility is by definition less worthy of regard than that of heterosexual couples,” Justice Albie Sachs said in the ruling.<\/p>\n The court said if parliament did not act, the legal definition of marriage would be automatically changed to include same-sex unions. That would put South Africa alongside Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada in allowing gay marriages. […]<\/p>\n Only one of the court’s 11 judges dissented from the ruling, arguing it should have legalized gay marriage immediately instead of allowing 12 months for parliament to act.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/pracut>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Excellent news! South Africa’s Supreme Court has ruled that the South African Constitution, which guarantees equal rights for lesbians and gays, requires the state to recognize same-sex marraiges. From Reuters (hat tip: This Space For Rent): South Africa’s top court … Continue reading