Spain 'to approve gay marriages'

[swami]

Spanish Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he is in favour of allowing same-sex marriages.

His government will draft a law to put gay unions and marriage on an equal footing, he told Spain's Telecinco television channel on Thursday. He said same-sex marriage was a characteristic of a "modern and tolerant society".

The conservative outgoing government of the Popular Party had rejected several calls to allow same-sex marriages. Spain 'to approve gay marriages' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3548727.stm)

If Spain (which is around 94% Roman Catholic) can get Gay Marriage approved then how long will it be for the US? Also which countries are next to follow? Which ones will be the last?

[sailor]

I think something got lost in the translation. His government will draft a law to put gay unions and marriage on an equal footing, he told Spain's Telecinco television channel on Thursday. I interpret that as saying "gay unions" will be on an equal footing with "marriage" (different things). I do not anywhere see that there will be "gay marriage". But hey, it is the job of politicians to talk so everybody likes what they say. What counts is not what he says but what he does. And, in any case, he does not make the laws, the parliament does. it is easy to makes promises.

[Neurotik]

Sure, but doesn't the Parliament back the Prime Minister nearly every time? I mean, his party is in control of the Parliament.

And, whether he gives them gay unions or gay marriage, either way it'll be better than what gays have here.

[Mr. Moto]

Spain may be about 94% Roman Catholic. The same figure, I'm sure, holds true for Italy.

It's a holdover, cultural kind of Roman Catholicism, though, if it's anything like what I saw in Italy in the two years I was living there.

Compared to Europeans, a far greater proportion of Americans are weekly churchgoers, and religion plays a far greater role in their daily life.

I don't think noting how "Catholic" Spain is has much to do with how well the gay marriage issue will succeed in America. I've been to Spain. I've been to Italy. These places are very different from the United States.

[sailor]

Sure, but doesn't the Parliament back the Prime Minister nearly every time? I mean, his party is in control of the Parliament.

And, whether he gives them gay unions or gay marriage, either way it'll be better than what gays have here. The PSOE does not have absolute majority in the house and the PP has even more senators than PSOE. All Zapatero can say is that he will propose something and we don't know what that is yet. Then it has to get the votes of his own party and some of other parties. This is just a statement of opinion. From this to an actual law there is a long way. Long way. He could be proposing this in the knowledge the opposition will shoot it down and then he can accuse them of that. Politics in Spain is no different from politics everywhere else.

[JRDelirious]

Sure, but doesn't the Parliament back the Prime Minister nearly every time? I mean, his party is in control of the Parliament.

They don't have an outright majority, they're something like 8 votes short IIRC. He will be PM because nobody else is even close and he can always get some regionals and minor leftist parties to vote him in. In any case it was not -- that I know -- a major platform issue so it may take some jawboning. He probably can get the votes together, specially if it is for the sake of "equal footing" rather than full-fledged marriage, but from this outside perspective I wonder, since it's very likely that in the short term everyone will be totally concentrated on the security issues (and recriminations for what happened), if that could lead to the proposal being de-prioritized to "avoid distracting controversies at a time when we need to stand united".

But either way, nice of him to take the step (And don't tell me he's unaware that it'll probably just tick off George W even more :D )

[jayjay]

It just proves...a vote for gay marriage is a vote for Al Qaeda!

*runs away*
*hides*

[rjung]

Dammit, jayjay, you beat me to the joke! :D

[jayjay]

Dammit, jayjay, you beat me to the joke! :D

HA! I AM Señor Queekstraw of the SDMB!!!

[MrTuffPaws]

Damn jayjay the only reason I read this thread was to say that.

[GIGObuster]

You can run but you cannot hide jayjay!

Darn, I also wanted to say that first! :D


-Ed, alias: "El Lento"