While the United States continues to fight the issue of same-sex marriages in the Supreme Court, others countries show signs of embracing same-sex marriage.
Countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain have already legalized same-sex marriages and on Tuesday, Uruguay became the latest to join them. The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 23-8, though President Jose Mujica has not yet signed the bill into law, CNN reported.
Uruguay will be the second Latin American country to allow same-sex marriages, though it was the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt, CNN reported.
Other countries, and some people in the United States and Argentina, have been opposed to same-sex marriage for religious purposes.
However, Uruguay senator Monica Xavier says it is not a religious issue, but rather a rights issue.
“Rights that were denied and repressed for a long time, and which a society that is trying to be modern and inclusive necessarily must recognize, to advance in equality,” Sen. Xavier said. “Rights that are inherent to people, that are not a legislative creation, but something that the law must recognize.”
In addition to countries that have already legalized same-sex marriage, other countries are also considering proposals that would allow it, including the United Kingdom and France, CNN reported.
Though the United States government and citizens continue to battle over the issue, recent polls have shown that many more citizens are also beginning to embrace the idea.
In 2004, Americans were a little more split of the issue of same-sex marriage, though fewer were in favor of legalizing it. A poll from The Washington Post shows that in 2004, 55 percent thought that it should be illegal, while 41 percent thought it should be legal. However, in 2013 the poll showed that 58 percent were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriages while 38 percent were still in favor of keeping it illegal.
Another poll also indicated that more people say they know someone who is gay or lesbian. In 1992, about 56 percent said they did not know someone who was gay or lesbian, whereas in 2013 only about 22 percent said they did not know someone who was gay or lesbian, according to The Washington Post.
Even though these polls indicate that Americans are becoming more open to the idea of same-sex marriages, only time will tell which side the Supreme Court will be on.
