"Legal changes giving same-sex couples on Prince Edward Island all the rights enjoyed by mixed-sex couples were proclaimed over the weekend, ending a wait of more than three years," reports the CBC. Marriage commissioners on Prince Edward Island have been able to perform same-sex marriages since June 2006, but many pieces of provincial legislation still referred to married couples as "man and woman" or "husband and wife." The Domestic Relations Act replaced those words with more gender-neutral terms. While the bill did get royal assent last year, same-sex couples were still waiting for the proclamation to happen. In all, 29 pieces of legislation had to be changed. "I think that a lot of people have been feeling like, yes, OK, they finally allowed gay marriage. And now it's just waiting for the paperwork to be finished," said Alana Leard of the Abegweit Rainbow Collective, but that people were starting to get frustrated. With it taking so long it just didn't seem that was important enough to take priority. But we are definitely excited that is finally going to happen."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Canadian Province Finally Proclaims Long-awaited Gay Marriage Amendments
Gay people not only deserve marriage equality in Canada under the law but also deserve to NOT have to wait YEARS for pieces of provincial legislation to change to more gender-neutral wording when referring to married couples. Terms such as "man and woman" or "husband and wife" are discriminatory. When gay and lesbian couples decide to get married it should be a time of celebration and NOT a constant reminder and illustration of how we had to endure second-class citizenship in Canada. Below is a CBC report of how Prince Edward Island is finally getting their act together.
"Legal changes giving same-sex couples on Prince Edward Island all the rights enjoyed by mixed-sex couples were proclaimed over the weekend, ending a wait of more than three years," reports the CBC. Marriage commissioners on Prince Edward Island have been able to perform same-sex marriages since June 2006, but many pieces of provincial legislation still referred to married couples as "man and woman" or "husband and wife." The Domestic Relations Act replaced those words with more gender-neutral terms. While the bill did get royal assent last year, same-sex couples were still waiting for the proclamation to happen. In all, 29 pieces of legislation had to be changed. "I think that a lot of people have been feeling like, yes, OK, they finally allowed gay marriage. And now it's just waiting for the paperwork to be finished," said Alana Leard of the Abegweit Rainbow Collective, but that people were starting to get frustrated. With it taking so long it just didn't seem that was important enough to take priority. But we are definitely excited that is finally going to happen."
"Legal changes giving same-sex couples on Prince Edward Island all the rights enjoyed by mixed-sex couples were proclaimed over the weekend, ending a wait of more than three years," reports the CBC. Marriage commissioners on Prince Edward Island have been able to perform same-sex marriages since June 2006, but many pieces of provincial legislation still referred to married couples as "man and woman" or "husband and wife." The Domestic Relations Act replaced those words with more gender-neutral terms. While the bill did get royal assent last year, same-sex couples were still waiting for the proclamation to happen. In all, 29 pieces of legislation had to be changed. "I think that a lot of people have been feeling like, yes, OK, they finally allowed gay marriage. And now it's just waiting for the paperwork to be finished," said Alana Leard of the Abegweit Rainbow Collective, but that people were starting to get frustrated. With it taking so long it just didn't seem that was important enough to take priority. But we are definitely excited that is finally going to happen."
