Earlier this month, the nation of South Africa made headlines when two Zulu men married in a historic traditional same-sex marriage. Now, the gay residents of New Zealand will be able to do the same as the island nation’s Parliament passed a bill legalizing the practice Wednesday.
According to the BBC, Parliament voted 77-44 in favor of the bill on its third reading, which is the penultimate step in passing the bill. The next and final step is to have the governor-general give the royal assent, which is typically guaranteed when a bill makes it this far.
New Zealand will now become the 13th nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
“[I am] very proud to be a member of a Parliament that has voted overwhelmingly to give New Zealanders, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender, the right to marry,” said Louisa Wall, the bill’s sponsor, in a statement after the landmark decision.
Just moments after the bill was passed, several spectators watching from the public gallery and some lawmakers immediately began serenading Wall by singing “Pokarekare Ana,” a love song in the country’s indigenous Maori language.
We applaud New Zealand’s lawmakers for making a step towards progress and we hope that their decision inspires other nations to do the same.
Check out some other nations that may be on the verge of legalizing the practice below. –nicholas robinson.
