GAY MARRIAGE

Ricardo Mealha, 41, a Portuguese graphic designer and David Rodriguez, 28, were married

on Monday at a Lisbon disco in a symbolic ceremony that will soon be legal in Portugal.
The Socialist government gave the green light on Thursday to legalize gay marriages.

Portugal will join Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway in the list of European

nations that allow same-sex matrimony.
However, the Portuguese government’s proposal may not be hat easily accepted. The opposition
conservative party is pushing for the recommendation to be put to a vote in a national referendum.
Pedro Silva Pereira, chief of staff to Prime Minister José Sócrates, said that the bill will be
presented in January to the National Assembly. The proposed law is expected to be passed although
the Socialists lost their absolute majority in parliament
after this year’s general election. “It is a very positive step to construct a more just and tolerant
society,” Pereira said when announcing the measure onThursday. Sócrates and his Socialists
had promised same-sex marriage as part of their reelection campaign platform.

No adoption
However, unlike the law passed in 2005 in Spain, Portugal’s proposal won’t allow gay couples to
adopt. Sergio Vitorino, spokesman for the pro-gay rights group Panteras Rosa, criticized the government’s
decision not to allow gay couples to legally adopt. He said that the current adoption law prohibits individuals from adopting, regardless of their sexual persuasion. “Here nothing has been done to produce a cultural change, and now they’re beginning with a measure dictated from on high,” Vitorino complained. Still,
the idea of marriage for Mealha and his partner Rodrigues is something more than just exchanging
vows. “This is more than just celebrating our love. It is also a way of affirming our commitment to changing Portugal’s  mentality,” they said.

EL PAÍS (ENGLISH EDITION) with THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
December 19, 2009