Same-sex marriage facts: Most countries surrounding UK already allow gay marriage

Published on 18/07/2012 00:45

Of THE 11 countries directly surrounding the UK, eight already have same-sex marriage: Iceland (2010), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Denmark (2012), the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Spain (2005) and Portugal (2010).

In France, the new government recently promised to have same-sex marriage in place by this time next year.

In Ireland, deputy prime minister Eamon Gilmore told a Gay Pride event in Dublin recently that same-sex marriage was “the civil rights issue of this generation”. The Irish government is this year setting up a Constitutional Commission looking at whether the constitution would need to be amended.

Further afield, Barack Obama has become the first sitting United States president to voice support of same-sex marriage.