It ain't racism, but it is about equality

[pecunium]

South Africa just had its supreme court say that same-sex marriage was cannot be prohibited by law.

The decision gave the government one year to draft the legislation making it happen. It was a unanimous ruling, on the part of a 10 member court, with one dissent, of sorts. That judge felt there was no reason to not just make it happen immediately.

It puts South Africa in the company of just four other countries, Belgium, Canada, Holland, and Spain.

Given that this is AIDS Awareness Day, and lots of folks think AIDS is scourge, laid on man because of nasty homosexuals; combined with a general antipathy towards homossexuality in Africa, this is stunning.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

As I said elseweb, it's nice to see the developed nations taking the lead on this.

[/sarcasm]

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

Not to say that this is a Bad Thing, but *heterosexual* transmission of AIDS still runs rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa - South Africa in particular.

[anna-en-route.livejournal.com]

Let's not forget the much larger number of countries which have introduced civil unions ( here they are marriage in all but name)

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

That's superb news!

[shelly-rae.livejournal.com]

I'm very pleased to hear this news. Personally I don't think the government has any business regulating marriage at all. Seems to me that marriage should be a religious convention and governed by whatever religion one subscribes to. Perhaps we need another way to regulate rules about inheritance, child support, and such that currently fall under "marital law". A legal contract of some sort that all people could have equal access to?

Anyway, I'm pleased to hear that South Africa has made this decision. Especially since the rest of Africa holds such conservative views about same sex relations.
Anon

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

South Africa just had its supreme court say that same-sex marriage was required by law.

I feel certain you don't mean that. Possibly they just ruled that same-sex marriage is upheld by the law, is equally as valid as mixed-sex marriage. But I find it impossible to believe that South African law mandates that marriage must be same-sex, and that everyone must be (so) married.

[lietya.livejournal.com]

Excellent! It kind of makes us look bad, but you know what, that's not the point. It's wonderful that they've done this.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Wow. Cool.

B