Luxembourg became the latest country to legalize same-sex marriage when a new marriage equality law came into effect on January 1.
Jean Paul Olinger and Henri Lorenzo Huber were the first same-sex couple to marry in Luxembourg, and despite the public holiday Thursday, the Differdange town hall opened for the ceremony, officiated by mayor Roberto Traversini, according to the Luxemburger Wort.
Luxembourg’s legislature voted June 18, 2014, to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, making the tiny country the eleventh in Europe to allow marriage equality for same-sex couples.
The measure combines a reform of both marriage and adoption laws, allowing not only same-sex marriage and adoption, but also provisions to prevent forced marriage, and scraps a compulsory medical exams before marriage.
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Luxembourg’s openly gay prime minister, Xavier Bettel, the leader of the Democratic Party, said in 2014 he expected the nation will have marriage equality by the end of the year. The bill had been stalled in parliament since July 2009, when it was introduced under the administration of former Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.
A marriage equality law also came into effect this week in Scotland.
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