GERMANY LEGALIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: LET's DO THE RIGHT THING

GERMANY LEGALIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: LET's DO THE RIGHT THING

"Marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex"

Last Friday, June 30th 2017, the same day I posted my article on the Brexit negotiations on my blog (https://shegzsablezs.blogspot.com.ng/2017/06/post-brexit-negotiations-all-hands-on.html). The news of the German Parliament’s vote on Friday to legalize same-sex marriage resulted in jubilation in Berlin and everywhere else across Germany. According to Reuters, when Sarah Kermer - a lesbian proposed to her girlfriend in March, she knew she was in love, but she did not know when, if ever, Germany would allow them to marry. The answer came early Friday morning, when the lower house of the German Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage after a brisk but emotional debate, prompting Ms. Kermer and scores of other gay and lesbian Germans to celebrate in the streets.

“I was at work, and I just started crying,” Ms. Kermer, 25, said as she and her fiancée left a spontaneous gathering at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. “I was watching the decision on live-stream, and I cried — a lot. This has all happened just so fast.”

The historic decision came with a swiftness rare in Germany’s usually staid politics, just five days after Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly relaxed her party’s opposition to same-sex marriage and allowed lawmakers to vote on the issue according to their consciences. Ms. Merkel’s softened resistance opened the way for her coalition partners in the Social Democratic Party and two other political groups to press for a vote on the measure, which had previously been blocked by her Christian Democrats and their conservative allies. Ms. Merkel voted against the measure on Friday, but many of her party colleagues voted in favor, allowing it to pass easily — 393 votes in favor and 226 against, with four abstentions.

Same-Sex Marriage in Europe & The U.S.

The Netherlands was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage, back in 2001, followed by countries including Belgium, Spain, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Denmark, France and the United Kingdom. A 2013 Pew Research Center poll indicated that 87% of Germans viewed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, which was the second highest in the world (only 39 countries were polled) following Spain (88%). In May 2015, PlanetRomeo, an LGBT social network, published its first Gay Happiness Index (GHI). Gay men from over 120 countries were asked about how they feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how do they experience the way they are treated by other people and how satisfied are they with their lives. Germany was ranked 14th with a GHI score of 68. The 2015 Eurobarometer found that 66% of Germans thought that same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 29% were against. The 2017 Poll found that 75% of Germans support same-sex marriage, 20% were against.

In the United States, Same-Sex marriage is legal in 50 states since 2015, legal in Mississippi since March 2016, not legal in American Samoa, and some tribal jurisdictions. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States are considered among some of the most advanced in the world; however, they vary on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. Since 26th June, 2003, sexual activity between consenting adults of the same-sex as well as same-sex adolescents of a close age has been legal nationwide, pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. As of 26th June, 2015, all states license and recognize marriage between same-sex couples on account of the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. However, the United States has no federal law outlawing discrimination nationwide, leaving residents in some states without protection from discrimination, other than from federal executive orders which have a more limited scope than from protections through federal legislation.

Same-Sex Marriage in Nigeria

On 7th January 2014, Former President Goodluck E. Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act into law which prohibits gay people to even hold a meeting. The Act also criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations and organizations, with penalties of up to 14 years in jail. The act has continued to draw international condemnation from countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the Nigeria's law is not as draconian as a Ugandan law passed by parliament which punishes "aggravated" homosexual acts with life in prison but Nigeria's law reflects a highly religious and conservative society that considers homosexuality a deviation. Nigeria is one of 38 African countries - about 70% of the continent - that have laws persecuting gay people, according to Amnesty International.

In my previous article titled; "Still On the Anti-Gay Law" (https://shegzsablezs.blogspot.com.ng/2017/07/still-on-anti-gay-law.html) inspired by a piece I read on the 29th January, 2014 in the Punch newspaper published the same day. I noted that the law is a complete contradiction to what the 1999 constitution stipules on right to life, freedom of association and privacy which are stated explicitly in the chapter 4 of the constitution that addresses our fundamental human rights. We also need to note that the basic arguments against homosexuality and same-sex marriage are deeply rooted in our cultural and religious beliefs which goes a long way to defer analytical and progressive thinking in some cases. Perhaps, we (Nigerians in particular and Africans in general) tend to disassociate ourselves from unpopular social issues because we like to paint a certain orchestrated picture of ourselves to the next person which in most cases are stage-managed to gain public acceptance and cheap popularity. The main arguments against homosexuality are purely based on cultural and religious beliefs but the truth is that we do a lot of things that are against both.

Conclusively, I totally believe that the German parliament did the right thing last Friday by providing members of the LGBT community equal right to civil union and marital life because it would go a long way to ensure equal rights, responsibilities, espouses mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among the members of the German society without discrimination based on sexual orientation and beliefs. I also believe we need to seriously re-consider the “SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PROHIBITION ACT 2014” and have a re-think. Strictly my opinion.

#LetsDoTheRightThing

Olusanya, Oluwole Sheriff