Bermuda’s Same-Sex Marriage Reversal Sparks Fears Others Will Follow

HAMILTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Bermudian Joe Gibbons and his Canadian partner were ecstatic last year when the wealthy Atlantic island legalized same-sex marriage after a long struggle for gay equality - but their joy only lasted nine months.

For the British overseas territory of 60,000 people - known for low taxes and stunning pink-sand beaches - this month became the first jurisdiction in the world to reverse a law allowing same-sex marriage.

It was cause for celebration for many church leaders and thousands of Bermudians who gathered outside parliament on the usually sleepy island last year to protest the gay marriage law.

Yet the reversal sparked fears for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activists that it may reverberate far beyond Bermuda and set a dangerous precedent for a gay rights rollback after years of gains across the Western world.

“This could open the door to undo marriage equality elsewhere,” said Jordan Sousa, founder of Bermuda’s Gay Straight Alliance, one of several local advocacy groups for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, with 1,200-odd members.

Same-sex marriage has become legal in 26 nations since the Netherlands led the way in 2001. Austria and Taiwan are set to join this list following court rulings on the matter in 2017.

Source: huffingtonpost