2008 Woodie Awards
Crossing the sea to Spain´s "si"
Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005
Angie Stanke
Issue date: 11/15/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
On Nov. 7, 2006, Wisconsin voted "yes;" the state constitution will read that a marriage is a union between a man and a woman.
Seven hours by plane, across the Atlantic Ocean, Spain said "si" in 2005.
On July 2, 2005, the Cortes Generales, Spain´s bicameral parliament, passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Spain. The bill was backed by Spain´s socialist government.
Spain´s "si" began in the 1990s, when, according to Wikipedia, "several of the city councils and autonomous communities of Spain opened registers for civil unions that allowed unmarried couples of any sex to enjoy some local benefits."
Although several communities in Spain granted local benefits to same-sex couples in the 1990s, Spain was only the third country to formally legalize same-sex marriage. The Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage in 2001 and Belgium followed suit in 2003.
Since its legalization in 2005, Spain has married more than 1,000 same-sex couples. According to Pedro Zerolo, a senior government official in Spain, 10 percent of all marriages have been between same-sex couples.
Even though it's legalized, do most Spaniards favor same-sex marriage?
Wikipedia cites that "A poll by Spain's Centre for Sociological Investigations published in April 2005 said 66 percent of Spaniards favored legalizing same-sex marriage."
"Maria Rodriguez," a woman residing in Valladolid, Spain, who prefers to remain anonymous, stated, "To me (same-sex marriage) seems fine. They are people just the same."
Rodriguez, a mother and Catholic, said, "If they contribute to society, pay taxes, and don´t kill anybody, I don´t have a problem. To me it doesn´t matter who they sleep with. I´m not going to sleep with them."
Contrary to Rodriguez, the Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope John Paul II and later Pope Benedict XVI, raised concern about the weakening of family values in Spain.
Aside from that concern, same-sex marriage in Spain raises a legal issue.
Wikipedia states that in Spain "children born within a lesbian marriage cannot be legally recognized so far by the non-biological mother, who must still undergo a time- and resource-consuming process of adoption. This right is granted to heterosexual couples (married or not), where the male partner who is not a biological father can recognize these children without further questioning."
So did Spain make the right decision about same-sex marriage, even if still controversial?
"Yeah, it was a good decision. I believe that marriage is a human right, not a hetersexual privelege," said Jason Gehring, UW-La Crosse student.
"But I don´t necessarily feel that Spain is more accepting because our generation voted heavily against it (on Tuesday). People in Wisconsin are tolerable of it. Some accept it while others seem to accept it more," Gehring added.
Perhaps Noemi Casas-Marcos of Valladolid, Spain, said it best: "They are people like you and me."
I´ll be contemplating rights and priveleges until next week.
Seven hours by plane, across the Atlantic Ocean, Spain said "si" in 2005.
On July 2, 2005, the Cortes Generales, Spain´s bicameral parliament, passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Spain. The bill was backed by Spain´s socialist government.
Spain´s "si" began in the 1990s, when, according to Wikipedia, "several of the city councils and autonomous communities of Spain opened registers for civil unions that allowed unmarried couples of any sex to enjoy some local benefits."
Although several communities in Spain granted local benefits to same-sex couples in the 1990s, Spain was only the third country to formally legalize same-sex marriage. The Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage in 2001 and Belgium followed suit in 2003.
Since its legalization in 2005, Spain has married more than 1,000 same-sex couples. According to Pedro Zerolo, a senior government official in Spain, 10 percent of all marriages have been between same-sex couples.
Even though it's legalized, do most Spaniards favor same-sex marriage?
Wikipedia cites that "A poll by Spain's Centre for Sociological Investigations published in April 2005 said 66 percent of Spaniards favored legalizing same-sex marriage."
"Maria Rodriguez," a woman residing in Valladolid, Spain, who prefers to remain anonymous, stated, "To me (same-sex marriage) seems fine. They are people just the same."
Rodriguez, a mother and Catholic, said, "If they contribute to society, pay taxes, and don´t kill anybody, I don´t have a problem. To me it doesn´t matter who they sleep with. I´m not going to sleep with them."
Contrary to Rodriguez, the Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope John Paul II and later Pope Benedict XVI, raised concern about the weakening of family values in Spain.
Aside from that concern, same-sex marriage in Spain raises a legal issue.
Wikipedia states that in Spain "children born within a lesbian marriage cannot be legally recognized so far by the non-biological mother, who must still undergo a time- and resource-consuming process of adoption. This right is granted to heterosexual couples (married or not), where the male partner who is not a biological father can recognize these children without further questioning."
So did Spain make the right decision about same-sex marriage, even if still controversial?
"Yeah, it was a good decision. I believe that marriage is a human right, not a hetersexual privelege," said Jason Gehring, UW-La Crosse student.
"But I don´t necessarily feel that Spain is more accepting because our generation voted heavily against it (on Tuesday). People in Wisconsin are tolerable of it. Some accept it while others seem to accept it more," Gehring added.
Perhaps Noemi Casas-Marcos of Valladolid, Spain, said it best: "They are people like you and me."
I´ll be contemplating rights and priveleges until next week.
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