Bermuda becomes first country to repeal same-sex marriage News
Bermuda becomes first country to repeal same-sex marriage

The governor of Bermuda on Wednesday signed [press release] a bill into law that repeals same-sex marriage, reversing a Supreme Court ruling.

The Domestic Partnership Act gives [text, PDF] domestic partners rights that are similar to married couples, but not the legal title.

The governor said that “[t]he Act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda,” noting that a majority of Bermudians do not agree with same-sex marriage. The Act states that “a marriage is void unless the parties are respectively male and female,” but also recognizes and aims to protect the rights of same-sex couples.

The Act also recognizes same-sex couples who were already married under Bermuda law before its enactment, as well as any overseas same-sex marriages that occurred before its enactment.