Estonia lawmakers approved legislation Tuesday to recognize same-sex relationships as marriages effective in 2024, the Washington Post reports.
The legislature passed an amendment to the country’s Family Law Act 55-34, and the new provision will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. (RELATED: Biden Claims He Started Supporting Same-Sex Marriage In High School. History Says Otherwise)
“Everyone should have the right to marry the person they love and want to commit to,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “With this decision we are finally stepping among … all the rest of the democratic countries in the world where marriage equality has been granted.”
BREAKING: MARRIAGE EQUALITY – GAY MARRIAGE BECAME THE LAW OF THE LAND IN ESTONIA AFTER A VOTE OF 55 MPS IN FAVOUR AND 34 AGAINST.
GAY MARRIAGE IS NOW LEGAL IN ESTONIA!#Estonia #Riigikogu #LGBT #LGBTQ #PrideMonth #Pride2023 #Pride #gaymarriage #marriageequality pic.twitter.com/per5TYbgPb— Estonia Votes🇪🇪🇺🇦🏳️🌈🇪🇺 (@EstoniaVotes) June 20, 2023
“This is a decision that does not take anything away from anyone but gives something important to many. It also shows that our society is caring and respectful towards each other. I am proud of Estonia,” Kallas added.
A survey by the Estonian Human Rights Center found that 53 percent of the population supports gay marriage, while only 34 percent supported gay marriage in 2012.
Estonia recognized same-sex partnerships in 2014, but the Registered Partnership Act did not give gay couples adoption rights.
The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania received independence from the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War.