Same-sex marriage in Greenland

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Greenland since 1 April 2016. Same-sex marriage legislation passed the Inatsisartut unanimously on 26 May 2015. Approval by the Folketing followed on 19 January 2016, and the law received royal assent on 3 February.

Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, had previously recognised registered partnerships for same-sex couples from 1 July 1996 until 1 April 2016.

Registered partnerships

Denmark's registered partnership law had been in operation since 1 October 1989.^[1][2] A bill to expand its application to Greenland was approved by the Inatsisartut on 14 May 1993 by a vote of 15–0 with 12 abstentions, and by the Folketing on 28 March 1996 by a vote of 104–1. The bill was given royal assent on 26 April 1996,^[3][4] and took effect on 1 July 1996.^[5][6] The law gave registered partners nearly identical rights to married couples, with these notable exceptions:

• joint adoption of children
• laws making explicit reference to the sexes of a married couple did not apply to registered partnerships
• regulations by international treaties did not apply unless all signatories agreed

The first same-sex couple registered in 2002.^[7] Registered partnerships are called nalunaarsukkamik inooqatigiinneq (pronounced [nalʉnɑːsːukːamik inɔːqat͡siɣiːnːɜq]) in Greenlandic and registreret partnerskab (pronounced [ʁekiˈstʁeˀð̩ ˈpʰæːtnʌˌskɛˀp]) in Danish.^[8]

The law was repealed on 1 April 2016. The ability to enter into a registered partnership was closed off on that date. Registered partners may retain their status or convert their union into a recognized marriage.

Same-sex marriage

A resolution,^[9] expressing Greenland's wish to opt in the current version of Denmark's marriage law, had its first reading in the Inatsisartut on 25 March 2015,^[10] and was approved unanimously on second and final reading on 26 May 2015.^[11][12][13]

Approval by the Folketing was required before the law could go into effect, however. A bill was submitted to the Folketing on 28 January 2015 and had its first reading on 26 May 2015.^[14] It was planned to come into effect on 1 October 2015; however, it lapsed due to the 2015 parliamentary elections.^[15] A nearly identical bill with only minor formal changes was submitted on 29 October and had its first reading on 5 November.^[16][17] The second reading happened on 14 January 2016, and the bill was approved in its final reading on 19 January.^[17][18] The bill was given royal assent by Queen Margrethe II on 3 February, and took effect on 1 April 2016.^[17] The first same-sex marriage in Greenland was performed on 1 April at the Hans Egede Church in Nuuk between Laila Mølgaard and Henriette Simonsen.^[19][20][21]

Article 1 of the Marriage Act now reads as follows:

• in Danish: Loven finder anvendelse på ægteskab mellem to personer af forskelligt køn og mellem to personer af samme køn.
• in Greenlandic: Inatsit atuuppoq inunnut marlunnut assigiinngitsunik suiaassuseqartunut aamma inunnut marlunnut assigiimmik suiaassuseqartunut aappariilersunut.

(The law applies to marriages between two persons of different sex and between two persons of the same sex.)

26 May 2015 vote in the Inatsisartut^[22]

Political affiliation	Voted for	Voted against	Absent (Did not vote)*
Siumutª	9 Suka K. Frederiksen Jens Imanuelsen Nikolaj Jeremiassen Lars-Emil Johansen Ineqi Kielsen Kim Kielsen Jens-Erik Kirkegaard Anders Olsen Laura Tàunâjik	-	2 Vivian Motzfeldt Jess Svane*
Inuit Ataqatigiit	9 Agathe Fontain Ane Hansen Juliane Henningsen Mimi Karlsen Aaja Chemnitz Larsen Kalistat Lund Naaja H. Nathanielsen Peter Olsen Sara Olsvig	-	2 Iddimanngiiu Bianco* Aqqaluaq B. Egede
Demokraatitª	4 Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen Justus Hansen Tillie Martinussen Michael N. Rosing	-	-
Partii Naleraq	3 Hans Enoksen Anthon Frederiksen Per Rosing-Petersen	-	-
Atassutª	2 Siverth Karl Heilmann Steen Lynge	-	-
Total	27	0	4*

*Two MPs (Jess Svane (Siumut) and Iddimanngiiu Bianco (IA)) are not shown on the vote tally in the reference link above. Since there are 31 MPs in the Greenlandic Parliament, both names of these MPs are added in this second column just to complete the tally count.

ªThese three parties formed the Naalakkersuisut during the entire legislative process of this bill.

Marriages in the Church of Greenland

The Church of Greenland campaigned in favor of same-sex marriage legislation and worked closely with the government to ensure that same-sex couples would be able to have religious wedding ceremonies in the church. The Bishop of Greenland, Sofie Petersen, welcomed the legalization of same-sex marriage.^[23]

See also

•  LGBT portal

• LGBT rights in Greenland
• Same-sex marriage in Denmark
• Same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands
• Recognition of same-sex unions in the Americas
• Legal status of same-sex marriage

References

1. . Queer Resources Directory. Archived from the original on 30 September 2014.
2. Rule, Sheila (2 October 1989). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
3. "Anordning om ikrafttræden for Grønland af dele af lov om ændring af lov om ægteskabs indgåelse og opløsning, lov om ægteskabets retsvirkninger og retsplejeloven og om ophævelse af lov om registreret partnerskab" (PDF) (in Danish). Social-, Børne- og Integrationsministeriet. 11 November 2013.
4. (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
5. "Lov om ændring af kriminalloven og arveloven for Grønland (Ændringer som følge af indførelse af registreret partnerskab)". Government of Denmark. 5 January 1996. from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
6. Merin, Yuval (2002). Equality for Same-Sex Couples: The Legal Recognition of Gay Partnerships in Europe and the United States. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226520339. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
7. Gay Greenland--Past and Present
8. (in Greenlandic) Nalunaarsukkamik inooqatigiinneq il.il. pillugit inatsisip allanngortinneqarneranik inatsisip Kalaallit Nunaannut atortuulersinneqarneranik peqqussut
9. (PDF) (in Danish). Parliament of Greenland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
10. (in Danish). Parliament of Greenland. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
11. (in Danish). Parliament of Greenland. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
12. W, Christian (28 May 2015). . The Copenhagen Post. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
13. McCormick, Joseph Patrick (27 May 2015). . PinkNews. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
14. (PDF) (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
15. (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
16. (PDF) (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
17. (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
18. Nørrelund Sørensen, Helle (19 January 2016). . Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation (in Danish). Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
19. Dam, Camilla (1 April 2016). . Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
20. Williams, Joe (1 April 2016). . PinkNews. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
21. Morgan, Joe (1 April 2016). . Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
22. (in Danish). 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
23. Sauvalle, Julien (1 April 2016). "Same-Sex Marriages Begin in Greenland". Out.com.

External links

• Lov om ændring af myndighedsloven for Grønland, lov om ikrafttræden for Grønland af lov om ægteskabets retsvirkninger, retsplejelov for Grønland og kriminallov for Grønland, Retsinformation.dk (in Danish)