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Loading ...Albania plans to legalize gay marriages
07.30.2009 8:29am EDT
(Tirana, Albania) Albania’s governing Democrats have proposed a law allowing same-sex civil weddings in the small, predominantly Muslim country.
An announcement on the government Web site Thursday said the bill “may spark debate” but was needed to stop discrimination against gay couples. Current law only recognizes heterosexual marriages.Prime Minister Sali Berisha said the move followed requests from rights groups. His Democrats, who control 74 of parliament’s 140 seats, are expected to easily pass the law.
The former Communist Balkan state, which joined NATO in April, has applied to be considered for joining the European Union.
Albania is mostly Muslim with large Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic minorities. Practicing religion was banned during the 1944-1990 Communist regime.
Wow. And the allegeded best country USA? We can now be jealous of Albania?
I’ll believe it when I see it!
No, I’m not from Missouri.
Proposing a law is not the same as it actually passing and becoming actual law of the land. Albania is a poor, mountainous country. Maybe marriage equality will boost tourism there and joining the European Union will give new opportunities for its young people to leave and find employment in a number of other more properous Europian Union member countries.
Leeanne,
I am not living in Albania, regardless of their new marriage equality when it arrives.
Of all thee countries that might move for marriage equality next… Albania? Was this on anyone’s radar?
Leeanne: What makes the US the best country?
We’re certainly one of the most economically important countries, and we have the largest military, but having a big military and a big economy do not necessary imply that the country is the “best”.
Albania, the new vacation spot?
Kari, I agree. I keep hearing our politicians chanting the “greatest country in the world” mantra over and over. On what do they base that I wonder? I might agree with it if we’d had marriage equality at the federal level. We should be the leader not the trailer to claim number one status in the world. The fact of the matter is, we’re not. No amount of military power and money makes a nation the greatest in the world. What a disgrace for the U.S. if Albania passes marriage equality legislation.
I don’t even know what to say about this.
How are attitudes to queers in Albania generally? I never hear about Albania.
Hell, if they can do it, godspeed to them. Pretty impressive that it would even be a factor in Albanian politics when you consider some of the problems they’re facing. Pretty embarrassing that we can’t do as well as they can.
Randy, I will look and how things are in Albania regarding both gay couples and queer couples.
The U.S. is one of the most repressive countries in the world when it comes to GLBT rites. They vote right along with the “United Arab Emirates” and the freakazoids that make up the Vatican.
A pretty bold move. Good luck to them, I am sure they will be a target of conservative Muslim hate
The US are trailers on many things. Some just because we are stupid or stubborn. Mainly I am speaking of the Metric System of Measurement.
There are only a few countries that do not use Metric and the US is one of them. While the US is commonly called the best country in the world, its not true.
We do not allow gays to marry (Federally) and we do not use the Metric system. Those, in my opinion, show that the US is both stupid and stubborn. And to be more exact, the US Government itself is stupid and stubborn. Get with the program already, jeez.
(Yes, I am an American and since I vote, I have every right to say what I want about my government and country)