Voters in Liechtenstein Approve Gay Family Protections

In almost every instance in which the rights of gay and lesbian families have gone to the ballot box in America, voters have punished same-sex couples and their children. But the tiny country of Liechtenstein may have set an example for the leader of the free world.

Voters in that nation approved a measure June 18 to allow gays and lesbians to enter into civil partnerships and enjoy many of the same rights and protections as their heterosexual countrymen, the Associated Press reported on June 19.

The measure passed by a margin of over 2:1, with sixty-nine percent of voters supporting the new law, while only 31 percent voted against it.

The new law, which becomes effective on Sept. 1, stops far short of full-fledged marriage equality. Registered same-sex couples will gain the same rights and protections regarding taxes, immigration, inheritance, and social security that are automatically conferred upon heterosexual couples who wed, but gay and lesbian families will still not be allowed adoption rights. They will also be banned from availing themselves of state-financed reproductive services.

The measure passed despite the objection of the Roman Catholic Church, which claimed that allowing same-sex couples a measure of rights and protections would harm "traditional families."

Acceptance of GLBT individuals and their families has increased globally, according to a recent study. Certain areas of the world, such as much of Africa and many of the former Soviet Union nations, have made much less progress or have even regressed with respect to GLBT equality.

In the United States, same-sex families continue to face considerable opposition from anti-gay politicians and clerics. Socially, however, acceptance has risen dramatically in the last few years. a recent poll shows that for the first time, a majority of Americans say that gay and lesbian families should be granted the same rights and protections as are automatically conferred upon heterosexual families upon marriage.

The United Nations made history on June 17 when, for the first time, it approved a resolution supportive of the human rights of GLBTs around the world, and expressing concern for anti-gay abuses.

The abrogation of equal right and protections before the law for GLBTs is often promoted by anti-gay faiths. In Liechtenstein, the religiously-backed referendum on rights and protections for gay and lesbian citizens was put onto the ballot by faith-based organization Vox Populi after that nation's parliament approved the measure. The vote merely reaffirmed what lawmakers had seen fit to offer the nation's GLBTs.

Liechtenstein is a tiny but prosperous principality located in the Alps, in Central Europe. Its system of government is a constitutional monarchy. Liechtenstain occupies an area of only about 62 square miles, and has a population of about 35,000. The nation borders Austria and Switzerland.

American voters in thirty one states have passed constitutional amendments to prevent gay and lesbian families from accessing marriage rights. Voters in the state of Minnesota will decide in next year's election whether to continue the trend or defy it by voting down a similar anti-gay ballot initiative.

Marriage equality is currently legal in five American states. Worldwide, only one nation, South Africa, guarantees the legal rights of gays in its constitution.