by Diana Chandler, posted Thursday, December 07, 2017 (6 years ago)
iStock
CANBERRA, Australia (BP) -- Australia's Parliament legalized same-sex marriage today (Dec. 7), following a court ruling doing the same in Austria two days earlier, the Associated Press reported.
Churches and religious organizations in Australia are allowed under the new law to boycott gay weddings without violating existing anti-discrimination mandates, the AP said. The Australian Parliament overwhelmingly approved gay marriage following a nationwide postal ballot that drew approval from 62 percent of voters Oct. 27.
The countries join at least 25 other nations where the practice was legalized as early as 2000, according to Pew Research tallied through August. Read More