In 2001, the legalization of same-sex married couples dates back 21 years. In 2001, four couples of the same gender were legally wed at Amsterdam's City Hall, making the Netherlands the first country to do so in history. Then-Mayor of Amsterdam, expressed his happiness for the couples. He also celebrated with the public this important step towards marriage equality.

In the last two decades, other countries and areas have adopted similar laws. Over 30 countries and areas had legalized same sex marriage by 2022. These legalizations, however, are mainly concentrated in Western Europe, North America, and Australia.

Only a handful of places in Asia and Africa have legalized the same-sex union. These include Taiwan and South Africa. The movement for marriage equality in Western countries is more widespread, but the process to legalize same-sex weddings varies by place.

This article will briefly describe how five countries have achieved the same-sex marriage milestone. We'll summarize some statistics at the end to help you understand the global trend towards same-sex legalization.

Countries where Same-Sex Marriage will be Legal by mid-2022:

Netherlands (2001).

Belgium (2003)

Canada (2005)

Spain (2005)

South Africa (2006)

Norway (2009)

Sweden (2009)

Argentina

Iceland (2010)

Portugal 2010

Denmark (2012)

Brazil (2013)

England 2013

Wales (2013)

France 2013

New Zealand 2013

Uruguay 2013

Luxembourg (2014)

Scotland 2014

Finland

Ireland (2015)

USA 2015

Colombia 2016

Greenland (2016)

Australia (2017)

Malta (2017)

Germany (2017)

Austria (2019).

Ecuador (2019)

Taiwan (2019)

Northern Ireland (2019).

Costa Rica (2020)

Chile (2021).

Switzerland (2022)

Taiwan

Taiwan was the first country in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. In 2017, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court issued Interpretation No. In 2017, Taiwan's Constitutional Court (Judicial Yuan) issued Interpretation No. The court gave two years for the government to amend the law. If the changes were not made in time, the same-sex couple would be automatically allowed to marry according to the existing Civil Code.

The Legislative Yuan of Taiwan passed the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, which grants same-sex marriage rights to couples as defined in the Civil Code. Taiwan's Constitutional Court confirmed the right of same-sex marriage couples, but it was up to the Legislative Yuan to enact legislation.

Austria

The Austrian Constitutional Court has reviewed the Registered Partnership Act of 2009, which allows same-sex partners to register but not marry. Unsatisfied by being only recognized as partners, a lesbian couple sought to be granted full marriage rights. However, the local government rejected their request, citing that marriage is exclusively between men and women.

The couple claimed that restricting marriages to heterosexual couples was in violation of the constitution's principles of equality, non-discrimination and freedom from discrimination. Austria's Constitutional Court ruled that the ban on same-sex weddings was unconstitutional in 2017. The court gave the government until the end of 2018 to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2019, couples of the same gender will be able to legally marry in Austria.

Malta

Malta, a once conservative Catholic nation, has become a progressive leader since the arrival of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. The Maltese parliament passed the law on same-sex marriage in 2017 despite opposition from the Catholic church. Only one member out of 67 voted against it. This decision showed the wide support in the country for marriage equality, despite traditional religious beliefs.

Malta became the first European nation to criminalize gay conversion therapy in 2016.

Australia

Australia went a different way by holding a postal vote on the issue of same-sex marriage. In Australia, since 2009, heterosexual couples and same-sex couples have had the same rights. Anti-discrimination legislation was passed in 2013 to protect LGBTQ+ people.

After a postal vote lasting two months, 79.5% voted, with 61.6% in favor of legalizing marriage between same-sex partners. In December 2017, the vote resulted in the passage of the same-sex marriage law by the government.

Germany

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, had long been opposed to same-sex relationships. However she surprised many when she allowed members of her own party to vote their consciences on this issue. Merkel's decision, to end her long-standing opposition, accelerated the process. The Bundestag, Germany's lower chamber of parliament, passed the same-sex wedding bill in June 2017. 393 people voted for it, while 226 voted against. There were also 4 abstentions. It was a momentous occasion for

LGBTQ+ rights