Representative image of LGBTQ+ comunity.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: Even as the Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution bench on Tuesday refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages, there are 34 countries where marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognised with the most recent country being Andorra.
Same sex marriage will become legal in the 35th country, Estonia, from the next year.
Among the 34 countries where same-sex marriage is legal at present are:
Argentina: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2010.
Australia: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2017.
Germany: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2017.
Mexico: Same-sex marriage was legalised in Federal District (Mexico City) in 2010, while the legalisation dates vary in different other states.
United Kingdom: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2014.
Scotland: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2014.
Northern Ireland: Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2020.
Since July 9, 2015, married same-sex couples throughout the United States have had equal access to all the federal benefits that married opposite-sex couples have.
There are 35 countries with legal recognition other than marriage (eg, civil unions or registered partnerships).
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognised arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage.
Some of the countries with legal recognition are:
Denmark: It was the first country to legalise civil unions for same-sex couples in 1989.
Brazil: Civil unions were first created for opposite-sex couples in 2002.
Andorra: Legal recognition for same-sex couples was granted in 2014.
Chile: Legal recognition for same-sex couples was granted in 2015.
Estonia: Legal recognition for same-sex couples was granted in 2016.
Japan: Legal recognition for same-sex couples was granted in some municipalities before 2021.
Slovenia: Legal recognition for same-sex couples was granted in 2017.