Portugal Celebrates 221 Gay Weddings In 6 Months

Portugal Celebrates 221 Gay Weddings In 6 Months

Six months after a gay marriage law took effect in Portugal, 221 gay and lesbian couples have married, the AFP reported The figures were released Friday by the Ministry of Justice. One-hundred-fifty-six of the couples were male and sixty-five were female. An additional 202 marriages in which one of the spouses is a Portuguese citizen were performed outside the country. Nineteen gay couples married in Portuguese consulates around the world.
 

Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Jose Socrates, approved the gay marriage bill in February. Portugal's conservative president, Anibal Cavaco Silva, reluctantly signed the gay marriage bill into law on May 17, saying he was only doing so because Social Democrats were certain to overturn a veto. Social conservatives had urged the president to veto the bill.

Days before the bill's signing, Pope Benedict condemned the institution as he toured the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Speaking in the city of Fatima, the pope called gay marriage “insidious and dangerous” and urged Catholics to stand united in opposition. The law does not allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children.