Lawmakers on Guernsey, a British Crown dependency in the English Channel and one of the Channel Islands, yesterday voted 37-7 in favor of introducing marriage equality.
Guernsey politicians rejected two alternatives to same-sex marriage: the introduction of civil partnerships or a Union Civile, a single legal form of civil partnerships available to all couples, reports Gay Star News.
In the vote, 37 of the members voted in favor of marriage equality, with only seven opposing it.
According to the Guernsey Press, reasons for opposing same-sex marriage were mostly the wish to preserve the word ‘marriage’ for heterosexual couples.
Now, legislation will have to be drawn up and returned to the politicians to be voted on again; it is not yet clear when this will happen or when the law is set to come into effect.
Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq said that the decision to approve of “marriage” rather than “civil partnerships” was “more likely to attain international recognition as it brings Guernsey into line with other neighboring jurisdictions,” reported The Daily Telegraph.
Same-sex marriage is legal in England, Wales and Scotland but has been blocked in Northern Ireland.
