|
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Delaware since July 1, 2013. Governor Jack Markell signed legislation on May 7, 2013, just hours after its passage in the Delaware House of Representatives and Senate. Though Rhode Island enacted legislation legalizing same-sex marriage before Delaware, on July 1, Delaware became the eleventh state, and twelfth US jurisdiction, to allow same-sex couples to marry, preceding Minnesota and Rhode Island by one month. Delaware previously extended recognition to same-sex relationships in the form of civil unions, which grant same-sex couples the "rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities" of married persons. Civil unions became available in Delaware on January 1, 2012, following the enactment of legislation signed by Governor Markell on May 11, 2011. ==Civil unions== In March 2011, state Sens. David P. Sokola and Melanie George introduced a bill to allow civil unions in Delaware. It passed the Senate Administrative Services Committee on March 31, the full Senate 13-6 on April 7, 2011, and the House 26-15 on April 14. Markell signed the bill into law on May 11, 2011, and it took effect on January 1, 2012. At the signing, he said: Delaware civil unions provided the "rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities" of marriage under a different name.〔(Senate Bill 30, "An Act to Amend Title 13 of the Delaware Code Relating to Civil Unions ), General Assembly of Delaware, accessed 4 December 2011.〕 In 2012, Delaware issued approximately 565 civil union licenses, with 250 of those being in Sussex County, 235 in New Castle County, and 80 in Kent County. As of July 1, 2013, civil unions are no longer offered to any couple and existing civil unions were converted into marriages by July 1, 2014. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Same-sex marriage in Delaware」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|