01/04/2024
Wikipedia noted that 1st April was the anniversary, 23 years ago, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands becoming the first country in the world to permit samesex marriage. The reform was voted upon by the Dutch Parliament the previous November, and the law came into effect from 1st April 2001. The Parliament voted by a large majority for law reform, with opposition coming from primarily religious parties, although we should also note that many religious denominations supported the change, particularly independent and religious with progressive interpretations of scripture, such as the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands, which split from the Roman Catholic church in the eighteenth century and considers itself to be the real Catholic tradition in the country. The reform was also supported by the majority of the Dutch population, with opinion polls showing that around ninety five per cent of the people support the right of samesex couples to marry.
