Bermuda repeals same-sex marriage
February 8, 2018Bermuda becomes the first country to revoke equal marriage as Governor John Rankin signs into law the Domestic Partnerships Act of 2017. The bill passed in December by a margin of 24 to 10, though there was some speculation as to whether the governor would sign the law. Bermuda is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom where gay marriage is legal.
The former Overseas Territories Minister in the UK, Chris Bryant, has said this decision will damage Britain’s reputation: “I think Britain will harm its reputation internationally for leading on such issues as this when we basically say, ‘Yes, in one of our overseas territories, which has a strong link to the United Kingdom and has the same queen, we are prepared to sanction getting rid of same-sex marriage. I think the only legitimate position for a government that supports same-sex marriage is to say to those territories it must stand there as it does here in the United Kingdom.”
The Foreign Office has stated that while the result is disappointing “this is a matter for the Bermuda Government, acting within the terms of the Bermuda Constitution and in accordance with international law.”
GLAAD’s Sarah Kate Ellis commented: “LGBTQ couples and their children in Bermuda should know that the global community of LGBTQ people and allies will stand with them in rectifying this unjust and hurtful news. Love can never be rolled back.”
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