Instead of marriage, Northern Island permits same-sex couples to register as domestic partners and legally recognized arrangements otherwise called civil unions. Some countries are so adamant about not legalizing gay marriage that they criminalize homosexuality to the full extent of the law.

SAME-SEX marriage is officially legal in Australia after the Governor-General signed off on the historic laws today. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull …

From 9 December 2017, same-sex married couples are treated the same as other married couples in Australia. It does not matter whether the marriage happened: before or after 9 December 2017 or overseas (if we would recognise it as a valid overseas marriage)

Amending the Marriage Act means same-sex couples can get married in Australia, get married overseas and (for those who have already taken the leap) have their existing marriages acknowledged. And spoiler alert … giving same sex Australians the right to choose who they marry has absolutely no impact on past, existing, or future, heterosexual marriages.

The right to marry is no longer restricted on the basis of sex or gender in Australia. Overseas same-sex marriages are now automatically recognised under Australian law, provided they fulfill all the requirements of a valid marriage. These are the same criteria that opposite sex marriages must fulfill in order to be recognised in Australia.

The Governor-General’s final signature makes same-sex marriage officially legal in Australia as of Saturday. Same-sex couples who had been married overseas will now have their marriages recognized under Australian law.