Same-sex marriage in Iceland

Same-sex marriage became legal in Iceland on June 27, 2010, after the Icelandic Althing (General Assembly) passed a law on June 11, 2010 that defined marriage as a legal union between two individuals. No members of parliament voted against the bill, and public opinion polls suggest that the bill is popular in Iceland. Iceland is the ninth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Registered partnership
Registered partnerships (staðfest samvist) for gay and lesbian couples were introduced in Iceland in 1996.

The legislation grants the full range of protections, responsibilities and benefits as marriage, and is only available to same-sex couples. A registered partner can adopt the other partner’s child, unless the child is adopted from a foreign country. All parties in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were in favour of the law; only one member of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) voted against it.

On June 2, 2006 the Parliament voted for legislation granting the same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals in adoption, parenting and assisted insemination treatment. No member of the parliament voted against the proposal. The law came into effect on June 27 2006.

A law amendment which took force on June 27, 2008 allows the Church of Iceland and other religious groups to bless same-sex registered partnerships.

Notable Icelandic individuals joined in civil union included the current Prime Minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, and her partner, Jónína Leósdóttir. On 27 June 2010, they had their civil union transformed into a recognized marriage.

Same-sex marriage
The new Government of Iceland, elected in April 2009, announced to introduce a gender-neutral Marriage Act at some point in the future. The 'Government Coalition Platform of the Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement', published on the 19 May 2009 states, "A single marriage act will be adopted." Though it is not explicitly stated, it certainly implies that this act will be gender-neutral. The opposition Progress Party also supported gender-neutral marriage.

On 18 November 2009, the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Ragna Árnadóttir, confirmed that the government was working on a "single marriage act" which would include both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. On 23 March 2010, the Government presented a bill which repeals the registered partnership law and will allow couples to marry regardless of gender. On 11 June 2010 the parliament approved the bill 49 to 0, with 14 abstentions. The law took effect on 27 June.