South Africa gays get equal marital status

Michael Wines for the New York Times Writes:

South Africa's highest court ruled Thursday that same-sex marriages enjoyed the same legal status as those between men and women, effectively making the nation one of just five worldwide that have removed legal barriers to gay and lesbian unions.

But the Constitutional Court, as the high court is known, effectively stayed its ruling for one year to give the national Parliament time to amend a 1961 marriage law to reflect its decision. Should the legislature balk, the court said, the law will be automatically changed to make its provisions sex-neutral.

Hear Hear! It's time to put the old religous, homophobic rhetoric aside. It's a fact of life. Whether it be by nature of nuture it doesn't matter. It's been around for thousands of years.

If your religon doesn't like it, that's fine. That does not mean that you get to push your beliefs on other people. I don't care what Fallwell wants to say. We are not a Christian state.

My Fiancee is alot more religous than I am, (anything over zero is alot in my view) and she agrees. I think it's time to get out of telling people what they are allowed to do and start hunting down criminals. The corporations that take money for everyone then turn around and steal it.

The government had appealed the ruling, arguing that the Supreme Court had encroached on Parliament's authority to make laws.

But the Constitutional Court said that the refusal to give legal status to gay marriages, though grounded in common law, violated the constitution's guarantee of equal rights. The justices said that marriage laws must be amended to include the words "or spouse" alongside provisions that now refer to husbands and wives.

The 12-justice decision was essentially unanimous, with one judge arguing that the ruling should take effect immediately rather than being stayed.

Some religious organizations and one political party dissented bitterly. The African Christian Democratic Party said through a spokesman that Parliament should amend the constitution to overturn the court's decision, arguing that "studies of previous civilizations reveal than when a society strays from the sexual ethic of marriage, it deteriorates and eventually disintegrates."

Yes, like How greece is wiped off the map right now.

Let it go. Stop telling people who don't believe what you believe what to do. I don't care if you believe they are going to hell. If you feel so strongly about it, let them. Just leave people alone and they will leave you alone. Deal?

South Africa gays get equal marital status - Africa