Voters in Georgia’s House District 101 did something no other district in Georgia has ever done: They elected an openly gay man to the state legislature. Sam Park will serve portions of Gwinnett County, Georgia starting in January.
The people of Oregon have elected the nation’s first openly bisexual governor.
In total, 1,201,607 people voted in favor with 734,300 against, giving a majority of 467,307. The total valid poll was 1,935,907. Roscommon-South Leitrim was the only county to reject same-sex marriage.
Before the current Penal Code Act, homosexuality was illegal for men in the Southern African nation as it is in many African nations, often punishable by prison or even death. However, in 2012, Lesotho became one of the first African nations to legalize homosexuality and in 2013 hosted its first Pride event.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts Constitution to allow only opposite-sex couples to marry.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Belgium since 1 June 2003, making it the second country in the world to open marriage to same-sex couples, after the Netherlands, and 9 days ahead of the Canadian province of Ontario. Legislation to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples was passed by both chambers of the Federal Parliament in November 2002 and January 2003 with the support of most political parties, and received royal assent on 13 February 2003.
No country recognized marriage between two people of the same sex prior to the 21st century, but a law to legalize marriage equality passed the Dutch legislature in 2000 and went into effect several months later.
The country’s landmark registered partnerships gave those in same-sex relationships most rights of married heterosexuals, but not the right to adopt or obtain joint custody of a child.
The Rev. Dr. William R. Johnson was the first openly gay person ordained in the United States and perhaps the first worldwide in a mainline Protestant denomination. His ordination took place on June 25, 1972 at the Community UCC in San Carlos, California, authorized by the Golden Gate Association of the Northern California/Nevada Conference UCC.
