South Africa's high court approves gay marriage
 

I am so ashamed of the US right now... we are hicks and deserve the rep now.

South Africa's high court approves gay marriage
Decision paves way for homosexual unions, a first for the continent


Updated: 8:46 a.m. ET Dec 1, 2005
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South Africa's highest court ruled Thursday it is unconstitutional to bar gay marriage, paving the way for this country to become the first in Africa to legalize homosexual unions.

Gay rights activists welcomed the ruling on a continent where homosexuality remains largely taboo.

In its ruling, the court gave the country's parliament a year to change the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

"We were thinking we would be calling our friends today and inviting them to our wedding," said Fikile Vilakazi, of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, who proposed to her partner more than six months ago. "Now they are asking us to wait another year."

South Africa recognized the rights of gay people in the constitution adopted after apartheid ended in 1994, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. But married couples have numerous rights still denied gay couples, including the ability to make decisions on each other's behalf in medical emergencies, and inheritance rights if a partner dies without a will.

Marriage is defined in South Africa's common law and Marriage Act as a union between a man and a woman. The Constitutional Court has instructed Parliament to add the words "or spouse" to the definition within a year, or else the change will automatically be effected by the courts.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

And what rep is that exactly?

Good for them! Now... for the rest of the world...

Its sad that an African nation is more progressive and free than America is.

^ That rep.

With all the other shit we need to fix around here, gays being able to make medical decisions for each other ranks pretty low on the list of importance. Unless you talk to a liberal politician of course, in which case it's far more deserving of our attention than other things they'd rather we not pay attention to. Patterns anyone?

I'd say basic human rights and equality ranks pretty damn high on MY list of what needs fixing around here.

It is a symptom of how little we care for the basics when it comes to human rights.
We used to lead the world in compassion, now we are the measure of how not to be.

Yes, because America is so much better than Africa in every way...right?

No, but America has a history of (and often brags about) supposed progressiveness and freedom, and for the most part, lots of African nations... well, don't.

Within my lifetime, South Africa was a slave state... now they lead us in progressive policy, while we have fallen to the point to resembling Germany/Russia of the twenties and thirties in many/most ways.
That is my point.

I thought it was obvious...for whatever that's worth...

Corrected.

I'd be happy if liberal politicians were on the ball, but at the moment it's only the activists.

Marriage isn't a human right, it's a fairness issue, but not a human rights issue.

Well, that's OK then.