Luxembourg Passes Same Sex Marriage

Eight months after the tiny European nation of Luxembourg elected an openly gay prime minister, the country legalized gay marriage. On Wednesday, Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies approved same sex marriage by a landslide vote of 56-4. Lawmakers also legalized same sex adoption. This reform was part of the most significant rewrite of Luxembourg’s marriage laws since 1804. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said he would introduce the legislation last year following parliamentary elections. Legislator Viviane Loschetter said, “All we have done is give equal rights to gay people. We formally recognize a form of relationship that has always existed.”