Thursday, November 03, 2005

The Very Slow Iron Hand of Sweden

Eleven, count 'em, eleven years...all your fingers and one toe...Sweden has offered legal civil unions for homosexuals. Apparently, it figured in that time, its registrars (like justices of the peace) would get used to the idea.

As of this coming spring, the local registrars will have to perform such ceremonies or quit. The European Sun has the full story here.

It may be a harbinger of what's to come in Canada and Connecticut. In both places, an alter kaker in the role can perform marriages or civil unions or not. Of course, clerics do not have to perform such ceremonies anywhere. (It is amusing to see the scare notes put out by fundies claiming ministers and priests will have to bless queers having sex. Not bloody likely.)

In Sweden, the relatively conservative Lutheran Church recently started a blessing ceremony for same-sex partnerships. Its Swedish Church Assembly approved tha 160 to 81. Of course, from here that certianly looks like a savvy decision to keep the gay members involved and indebted to the church. No word how many Swedish Luterans are gay, but 7 of 9 Swedes belong to the church.

No comments: