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Same-Sex Marriage Law Takes Effect in S. Africa
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South Africa on Thursday became the first country in Africa, and the fifth in the world, to legalize same-sex marriages. The Civil Union Act went into effect a day ahead of a Dec. 1 deadline set by the country’s Constitutional Court, which required that the marriage law be changed to ensure equality for gay men and lesbians. Gay rights groups have welcomed the law, although they criticized provisions allowing clergy and civil marriage officers to turn away gay couples for reasons of conscience. Some couples began hurrying to make preparations for long-awaited nuptials. “There will be a huge response from same-sex couples who have waited such a long time for their relationship to be recognized,” said Melanie Judge, a program manager for the South Africa-based gay rights group OUT. Janine Pressman, a pastor with the Glorious Light Metropolitan Community Church in Pretoria, said she hoped to marry a couple Saturday, provided the paperwork could be rushed through. “We are ready to go,” said Jacky Mashapu, a spokesman for the Home Affairs Ministry, where altar-bound couples will need to apply for permission to wed. South African leaders, determined to bury all forms of discrimination, recognized the rights of gay people in the constitution drafted after apartheid ended in 1994. The constitution, the first in the world to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, provided a powerful legal tool for gay rights activists, even though South Africa remains conservative on issues of sexuality. Influential traditional leaders said the legislation violated African cultural norms. |
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