^abNeither performed nor recognized insome tribal nations of the US. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations andAmerican Samoa.
^Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights in Israel. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
^A "declaration of family relationship" is available in several of Cambodia's communes which may be useful in matters such as housing, but is not legally binding.
^Guardianship agreements confer some limited legal benefits in China, including decisions about medical and personal care.
^Hong Kong provides inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
Same-sex marriage has been legal inNorway since 1 January 2009 when a gender-neutral marriage law came into force after being passed by theStorting in June 2008. Norway was the firstScandinavian country, the fourth inEurope, and thesixth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after theNetherlands,Belgium,Spain,Canada andSouth Africa. Polling suggests that a majority ofNorwegians support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.[1] In 2024, a British wedding planning website named Norway the best marriage destination in the world for same-sex couples.[2]
From 1993 to 2008, Norway allowed same-sex couples to enter intoregistered partnerships, which provided virtually all the protections, responsibilities and benefits ofmarriage. Norway was the second country in the world to provide some form of recognition to same-sex couples, afterDenmark.
Norway introduced same-sexregistered partnerships on 1 August 1993.[3][4] The law was introduced to theStorting on 11 January 1993 by the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. It passed the lower house on 29 March, and the upper house on 1 April. KingHarald V of Norway gave hisroyal assent on 30 April, and the law took effect on 1 August. Norway was the second country in the world to provide some form of recognition to same-sex couples, afterDenmark which implemented a registered partnership law in 1989. Registered partnerships are known inNorwegian asregistrert partnerskap (pronounced[rɛɡɪˈstreːʈˈpɑ̀ːʈnəʂkɑp]),[5] and inNorthern Sami asregistrerejuvvon párragaskavuohta (pronounced[ˈrekiːˌstreːreˌjuvvonˈpʰaːrraˌkasːkaˌvuo̯hta]).[a]
Registered partnerships were granted virtually all the protections, responsibilities and benefits ofmarriage, including arrangements for thebreakdown of the relationship.[3][4] Initially, the partnership law stated that registered partners could not adopt, and that only married couples or opposite-sex cohabiting couples could accessartificial insemination. In June 2001, however, the Storting approved a bill allowing registered partners toadopt their partner's children (i.e.stepchild adoption).[8] The amendment took effect on 1 January 2002.[3][4][9] One of the more notable people to enter into a registered partnership wasFinance MinisterPer-Kristian Foss in 2002.[10][11]
On 1 January 2009, the ability to enter into a registered partnership was closed off. Couples may retain their status as registered partners or convert their union into a marriage.
A bill was proposed on 18 November 2004 by two MPs from theSocialist Left Party to abolish the existing registered partnership law, and make the marriage lawgender-neutral. The move was withdrawn and replaced by a request that the cabinet further investigate the issue. The Conservativecabinet of that time did not look into the issue. However, theStoltenberg's Second Cabinet announced a common, unified marriage act as part of its foundation document, theDeclaration of Soria Moria. A public hearing was opened on 16 May 2007.[13]
On 14 March 2008, theNorwegian Government proposed a marriage bill that would give lesbian and gay couples the same rights as heterosexuals, including church weddings (although the law does not oblige any religious community to marry same-sex couples), full joint adoption rights and access tofertility treatments. The new legislation would amend the definition ofcivil marriage to make it gender-neutral.[14][15] On 29 May, theAssociated Press reported that two Norwegian opposition parties—theLiberal Party and theConservative Party—had announced their support for the bill, securing its passage at the vote on 11 June 2008. Prior to this, there had been disagreements within the three-party governing coalition over whether the bill had enough support to pass.[16] On 11 June, the lower house (Odelsting) approved the legislation by 84 votes to 41.[17][18][19][20] Norway's upper house (Lagting) passed the bill with a 23–17 vote on 17 June. The King of Norway,Harald V, grantedroyal assent on 27 June 2008, and the law took effect on 1 January 2009.[21] In addition to providing a gender-neutral definition of marriage, the law states that when a woman who is married to another woman becomes pregnant throughartificial insemination, the other partner will have all the rights of parenthood "from the moment of conception".
The first same-sex couple to marry in Norway were Anfinn Bernaas and August Ringmann, who had been together for 25 years, at theOslo Courthouse on 2 January 2009.[22] Article 1 of theMarriage Act (Norwegian:Ekteskapsloven;Northern Sami:Náittosláhka)[b] was amended to read:Two persons of the opposite or of the same sex can enter into marriage.[c]
In November 2021, Guri Varpe, the Royal Palace's communications manager, confirmed that members of theNorwegian royal family may enter into same-sex marriages without having to forfeit thecrown, or lose their royal titles and privileges or their place in the line of succession. "The heir to the throne can marry whoever she or he wants. The marriage must be approved by the King [or Queen] in accordance with Article 36 of the Constitution. The heir to the throne's orientation is not mentioned in the Constitution's provisions on the throne, and the Constitution does not provide any legal guidelines for who the heir to the throne can marry", said Varpe.[24]
From 2009 to 2015, an average of 270 same-sex marriages were conducted per year, compared to an average of 127 registered partnerships annually between 1993 and 2008. In the first three years after same-sex marriage became legal, 754 partnerships were converted into marriages. Female couples were more likely to adopt children than male couples, as about 30% of married lesbian couples had children, compared to 72% of married straight couples and 3% of married male couples.[25]
By the end of 2024, 5,019 same-sex marriages had been performed in Norway.[26] Figures for 2020 and 2021 are lower than previous years because of the restrictions in place due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Number of marriages and divorces in Norway[27][28][29]
In 2014, the National Council of theChurch of Norway rejected a proposal to perform same-sex marriages.[46] However, the following year it voted to allow same-sex marriages to take place in its churches.[47] The decision was ratified at the annual conference on 11 April 2016.[48][49][50] The Church formally amended its marriageliturgy on 30 January 2017, replacing references to "bride and groom" with gender-neutral text.[51] A same-sex couple, Kjell Frølich Benjaminsen and Erik Skjelnæs, were immediately married at theEidskog Church inMatrand the moment the changes came into effect on 1 February 2017.[52] Previously, a same-sex marriage had been performed in a Lutheran church in 1781. Jens Andersson, assigned female at birth but identifying as male, and Anne Kristine Mortensdotter were married in a church inStrømsø,Drammen. The priest later discovered that Andersson, born Marie Andersdotter, was in fact a biological female. After examination, Andersson was imprisoned, but later released after the death of Mortensdotter.[53]
Five different polls conducted byGallup Europe, Sentio,Synovate MMI, Norstat andYouGov in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013 concluded that 61%, 63%, 66%, 58%, 70% and 78%, respectively, of the Norwegian population supported a gender-neutral marriage law.[60][61][62][63] A 2007 Ipsos MMI poll showed that 61% ofNorwegians supported same-sex marriage, and 42% personally knew a gay person. This represented a large increase compared to 1998, when the numbers were 25% and 12% respectively.[64]
APew Research Center poll, conducted between April and August 2017 and published in May 2018, showed that 72% of Norwegians supported same-sex marriage, 19% were opposed and 9% did not know or had refused to answer.[65] When divided by religion, 83% of religiously unaffiliated people, 72% of non-practicing Christians and 42% of church-attending Christians supported same-sex marriage.[1] Opposition was 14% among 18–34-year-olds.[66]
^Pettersen, Jørgen; Edvardsen, Ingvild; Skjærseth, Lars Erik (11 April 2016)."Nå kan homofile gifte seg i kirka".NRK.Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved10 June 2020.
LGBTQ portal
