On December 1, South Africa’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that same-sex marriages have equal status with those between men and women. The court stayed its ruling for one year, so that parliament may amend a 1961 marriage law to reflect the decision. The judges called for the laws to be amended so that the words “or spouse” are added to provisions referring to husbands and wives. According to the Constitutional Court, refusal to give legal status to gay marriages violates the constitution’s guarantee of equal rights. Gay and lesbian rights groups, although disappointed at the one-year delay, hailed the ruling as a victory over discrimination.

From Green Left Weekly, December 7, 2005.
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