美國Delaware州成為第十一個同志婚合法州 - 同志

熱騰勝的新聞，美國Delaware通過同性婚姻法，成為美國第十一個合法的州
7/1會正式生效。

真是開心，真的像QAF裡Liz說的，像滾雪球一樣。雖然這雪球路上坑洞不少
速度也不是很快很廣，不過我仍然認為就是正面影響的意義多過實際的意義。
相信終有一天會越來越世界各地普及。

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新聞來源1(英衛報)：http://goo.gl/F46CZ
新聞來源2(美華盛頓郵報)：http://goo.gl/R84pp



Delaware becomes 11th state to approve same-sex marriage in close senate vote
Marriages to begin on July 1 and existing civil unions will be converted
as governor praises 'incredible team effort'

(Associated Press in Dover
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 7 May 2013 23.18 BST)

A divided Delaware state senate voted Tuesday to make their state the 11th in
the US to allow same-sex marriage, after hearing hours of passionate
testimony from supporters and opponents.

The Senate's 12-9 vote sends the bill to Democratic governor Jack Markell,
who supports the measure and planned to sign it later in the day. It would go
into effect July 1.

"I think this is the right thing for Delaware," the governor said after the
vote, while posing for pictures with supporters outside his legislative
office. "It took an incredible team effort."

Gay rights activists and their supporters in the chamber erupted in cheers
and applause following the Senate vote.

Delaware's same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Democrat-controlled
legislature last month, barely a year after the state began recognizing
same-sex civil unions. The bill won passage two weeks ago in the state House
on a 23-18 vote.

While it doesn't give same-sex couples any more rights or benefits under
Delaware law than those they have in civil unions, supporters argued same-sex
couples deserve the dignity and respect of married couples. They also noted
that if the US supreme court strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act, which
bars married gay couples from receiving federal benefits, civil unions would
not provide protections or tax benefits under federal law to same-sex couples
in Delaware.

Opponents, including scores of conservative religious leaders from across the
state, argued same-sex marriage redefines and destroys a centuries-old
institution that is a building block of society.

Under the bill, no new civil unions will be performed in Delaware after July
1, and existing civil unions will be converted to marriages over the next
year. The legislation also states that same-sex unions established in other
states will be treated the same as marriages under Delaware law.

The bill does not force clerics to perform same-sex marriages that conflict
with their religious beliefs. But under an existing Delaware law banning
discrimination based on sexual orientation, business owners who refuse to
provide marriage-related services to same-sex couples for reasons of
conscience could be subject to discrimination claims.

Delaware, at tiny state on the U.S. Atlantic coast, joins neighboring
Maryland and the nearby District of Columbia as jurisdictions that have
approved gay marriage. Last week, Rhode Island became the 10th state to allow
gay and lesbian couples to wed, with independent governor Lincoln Chafee
signing the bill an hour after its final passage.

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