Same-sex marriage in Finland

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Finland since 1 March 2017. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriages was approved by the Finnish Parliament in a vote of 101–90 on 12 December 2014, and signed into law by President Sauli Niinistö on 20 February 2015. Further legislation to harmonise other laws with the legalisation of same-sex marriage was passed in 2016. The law took effect on 1 March 2017. Polling suggests that a majority of Finns support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. Finland was the last Nordic sovereign state, the twelfth country in Europe and the twentieth in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.

From 2002 until 2017, Finland recognized registered partnerships for same-sex couples, which provided the same rights and responsibilities as marriage with the exception of joint adoption rights and the right to a joint last name.

Registered partnerships

edit

Legislation introducing registered partnerships (Finnish: rekisteröity parisuhde, pronounced [ˈrekisterøi̯ty ˈpɑriˌsuhde]; Swedish: registrerat partnerskap, pronounced [re.jisˈtreːrɑt ˈpɑːrtnerskɑːp])[a] for same-sex couples was passed by the Parliament of Finland on 28 September 2001 with a vote of 99–84.[4] The law went into effect on 1 March 2002. Registered partnerships, which were available only to same-sex couples, provided the same rights and responsibilities as marriage for opposite-sex couples, except for adoption rights and the ability to take a common family name, and they were registered and dissolved using a procedure similar to that for civil marriage. The legislation also granted immigration rights to a foreign partner.[5]

The Parliament revised the law in May 2009, allowing a person in a registered partnership to adopt the biological children of their partner.[6][7] On 1 March 2017, the ability to enter into a registered partnership was closed off. No further partnerships are granted in Finland, and existing registered partners only retain their status if they do not marry.[8][9]

Same-sex marriage

edit

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Finland since 1 March 2017. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the Parliament of Finland on 12 December 2014 with support from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Green League, the Left Alliance, the Swedish People's Party and the National Coalition Party (NCP). The Finns Party, the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party opposed same-sex marriage, though the latter has since rejected attempts to repeal the same-sex marriage law. In Finnish public discourse, same-sex marriage is commonly referred to as "equal marriage" or "gender-neutral marriage".[10][11]

2007–2011 parliamentary term

edit

A poll conducted by Christian newspaper Kotimaa in March 2010 showed that a narrow majority of Finnish MPs opposed same-sex marriage. Of the 126 MPs who were asked if they would support a gender-neutral marriage law, 46% were in favour and 54% were opposed. 63% of Social Democratic lawmakers supported same-sex marriage as well as all MPs from the Greens and the Left Alliance. A majority of MPs from the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party opposed same-sex marriage.[12][13] However, a later survey in April 2010 by Helsingin Sanomat reported that there was cross-party support for same-sex marriage and joint adoption rights. The Secretary of the National Coalition Party, Taru Tujunen, said that an initiative on same-sex marriage would be put forward at the next party conference.[14][15] At their June 2010 party conference, the NCP delegates voted in favor of a gender-neutral marriage law, though the vice-chairman of the NCP parliamentary group, Ben Zyskowicz, said that a majority of NCP MPs were against it.[16][17] Two weeks earlier, the Social Democrats passed a measure in favor of same-sex marriage.[18] The Left Alliance and the Green League also support it.[19][20] Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who held a speech at the opening ceremony of Helsinki Pride week on 28 June 2010, said he supports a gender-neutral marriage law with full adoption rights for same-sex couples.[21]

On 2 July 2010, Justice Minister Tuija Brax announced that the Ministry of Justice would be preparing a reform to the Marriage Act (Finnish: Avioliittolaki; Swedish: Äktenskapslag) in the autumn of 2011.[22] It was considered possible that same-sex marriage would be legalized after the 2011 parliamentary elections, where it was speculated to turn into a major theme,[23] though in an August 2010 survey by Yle only 20% of respondents said the issue should be a major theme.[24]

2011–2015 parliamentary term

edit
 
Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in Europe¹
  Marriage
  Civil union
  Limited domestic recognition (cohabitation)
  Limited foreign recognition (residency rights)
  Unrecognized
  Constitution limits marriage to opposite-sex couples
¹ May include recent laws or court decisions that have not yet entered into effect.

According to the voting advice application of the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, 90 of the 200 MPs elected in April 2011 supported joint adoption rights for same-sex couples, while 93 MPs were opposed.[25] Upon joining the Katainen Cabinet, the Christian Democrats required assurance that no government bill would legalise same-sex marriage.[26] However, it was agreed during talks on government formation that, if proposed as a member's initiative by individual MPs, such a bill could be endorsed by the remaining five parties in government: the National Coalition Party, the Social Democrats, the Left Alliance, the Green League and the Swedish People's Party.[27] The legislative proposal was presented as a member's initiative on 29 September 2011.[28][29][30]

On 21 March 2012, after five months of signature gathering among MPs, the bill to legalize same-sex marriage was submitted to Parliament. 76 out of the 199 voting MPs had signed their support for the draft bill, and several additional members were expected to vote for it, including Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.[31][32][33] On 27 February 2013, the bill was voted down by the Legal Affairs Committee in a 9–8 vote.[34][35] After being turned down by the committee, a similar bill was put forward as a citizens' initiative, organised by the Tahdon2013 campaign ("I do 2013").[36] The campaign started to gather signatures on 19 March 2013,[34][37] and by the evening of the first day, the initiative had gathered over 90,000 online signatures, eventually reaching a total of 166,851 signatures. The required minimum for an initiative to be sent to Parliament is 50,000 signatures.[38][39]

Citizens' initiatives had only been possible in Finland since 2012.[40][41] Therefore, in March 2013, it was still unclear whether a citizens' initiative would be considered on equal footing with a government bill (hallituksen esitys, regeringens proposition), or a member's initiative (lakialoite, lagmotion).[42] Members' initiatives signed by at least 100 MPs are given precedence in the legislative process, while initiatives with less signatures mostly expire at the end of the legislative session.[43][44] In April 2013, the Speaker's Council of Parliament issued guidelines for processing citizens' initiatives in Parliament. According to these recommendations, all initiatives are to be forwarded to a committee selected by the plenary session. Within six months, the committee must notify the signatories about its intended course of action, such as conducting specialist hearings or deciding whether to recommend the initiative for a vote in the plenary session. The committee operates independently and has full authority over the handling of the initiative.

Signature gathering for the same-sex marriage initiative ended after the standard six months period in September 2013, and the initiative was submitted to Parliament on 13 December 2013. In February 2014, the initiative was sent to the Legal Affairs Committee.[45][46][39][47][48] The committee voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for 13 March 2014.[49] After the public hearing, Yle reported that the initiative would be sent to the plenary session and not die in the committee.[50][51] On 25 June 2014, after multiple committee hearings with experts, the Legal Affairs Committee voted 10–6 against same-sex marriage. The vote would have been closer but two members in favour of same-sex marriage missed the vote and were replaced by one substitute member against it.[52][53]

On 20 November 2014, the committee voted 9–8 for recommending that the Parliament reject the same-sex marriage legislation.[54][55] In the bill's first reading on 28 November 2014, the full session of Parliament, by a vote of 92–105, did not accept that recommendation.[56][57] Due to the Parliament not accepting the recommendation, the Grand Committee continued consideration of the initiative on 3 December 2014, eventually voting 17–8 in favour.[58][59] The legislation was approved 101–90 by the full session of Parliament in its final reading on 12 December, and was signed into law by President Sauli Niinistö on 20 February 2015. The law amended the Marriage Act to define marriage as the union of "two people".[b] Parliament also approved a statement requiring the next government to draft necessary amendments to other relevant acts to replace specific references to opposite-sex couples with gender-neutral language.[60][61][62][63][64] The law took effect on 1 March 2017.[65][66][67]

12 December 2014 vote in the Parliament of Finland[68]
Party Voted for Voted against Abstained Absent (Did not vote)
  National Coalition Party -
  Social Democratic Party -
  Finns Party -
  Centre Party -
  Left Alliance - - -
  Swedish People's Party - -
  Green League - -
  Christian Democrats - - -
  Dissidents from the Left Alliance - - -
  Change 2011 - - -
Total 101 90 1 8
a. The Speaker votes only in unusual circumstances, and serves as one of the 200 members of Parliament.

2015–2019 parliamentary term

edit

Following elections in April 2015, a conservative government was formed, consisting of the Centre Party, the Finns Party and the National Coalition Party. Despite a majority of its MPs having voted against same-sex marriage, it was supposed to introduce amendments to other acts which still referred to married spouses as "man and woman". While the Finns Party thought the gender-neutral marriage law should be repealed, the other two parties generally disagreed. With the exception of the Christian Democrats, all opposition parties supported updating the language in other laws to reflect gender-neutral terms.[69]

On 22 October 2015, the Parliament began debating legislation to amend other acts that still had specific references to opposite-sex couples. Minister of Justice Jari Lindström from the Finns Party, who introduced the bill, said he did so despite his personal opposition.[70][71] On 11 December 2015, the Legal Affairs Committee recommended the adoption of the bill with amendments.[72] The bill was approved by Parliament in a 106–42 vote on 17 February 2016.[73] It was signed by President Niinistö on 8 April 2016 and took effect on 1 March 2017, on the same day as the amendments to the Marriage Act. Among laws amended were the Act on Population Information System and the Population Register Centre Certificate Services (661/2009), the Act on the Gender Recognition of Transsexuals (563/2002), and the Religious Freedom Act (453/2003).[74][75][76]

17 February 2016 vote in the Parliament of Finland[77]
Party Voted for Voted against Abstained Absent (Did not vote)
  Centre Party -
  Finns Party -
  National Coalition Party - -
  Social Democratic Party -
  Green League - -
  Left Alliance - -
  Swedish People's Party - -
  Christian Democrats - - -
Total 106 42 0 52
a. The Speaker votes only in unusual circumstances, though he or she continues to serve as one of the 200 members of Parliament.

A bill to make necessary changes to social benefits and social and health care services was introduced on 3 November 2016, and approved by the Parliament in a 128–28 vote on 13 December 2016.[78][79][80][81] It was signed by President Niinistö on 13 January 2017, and took effect alongside the amendments to the Marriage Act on 1 March.[82][83][84]

13 December 2016 vote in the Parliament of Finland[85]
Party Voted for Voted against Abstained Absent (Did not vote)
  Centre Party - -
  Finns Party
  National Coalition Party - -
  Social Democratic Party - -
  Green League - -
  Left Alliance - -
  Swedish People's Party - -
  Christian Democrats - - -
Total 128 28 4 40
a. The Speaker votes only in unusual circumstances, though he or she continues to serve as one of the 200 members of Parliament.
b. The nine deputies of the Swedish People's Party that were present accidentally voted against the bill, although the entire group supported it.[86]
c. Both SDP MP Henry Wallin and Finns Party MP Mika Niikko reported that they had intended to vote "No".[87]

A citizens' initiative to repeal the gender-neutral marriage law was started on 29 March 2015.[88] The initiative collected almost 110,000 signatures by 29 September 2015 and was presented to the Parliament on 22 June 2016. On 8 September 2016, it was sent to the Legal Affairs Committee after a plenary debate.[89][90] On 15 February 2017, the committee recommended that the Parliament reject the initiative.[91][92][93] On 17 February, the Parliament voted to accept the committee's recommendation by a 120–48 margin with 2 abstentions.[94][95][96][97]

17 February 2017 vote in the Parliament of Finland[97]
Party Voted for Voted against Abstained Absent (Did not vote)
  Centre Party
  Finns Party -
  National Coalition Party -
  Social Democratic Party -
  Green League - -
  Left Alliance - -
  Swedish People's Party - -
  Christian Democrats - - -
Total 120 48 2 30
a. The Speaker votes only in unusual circumstances, though he or she continues to serve as one of the 200 members of Parliament.
b. Swedish People's Party MP Eva Biaudet and Green MP Krista Mikkonen stated that they voted incorrectly, as they were both registered as absent.[98] They both intended to vote "Yes" on the committee report.[99][100]

Finland was the last Nordic country to introduce same-sex marriage. Although the change has brought it into alignment with its Nordic neighbours, this represents a significant difference of approach to neighbouring Russia, which historically exercised influence in Finland's affairs through Finlandisation and is hostile to LGBT rights.[101]

Statistics

edit

Registered partnerships

edit

4,215 registered partnerships were established in Finland between 2002 and 2017, with a high of 446 partnerships in 2002 and a low of 36 partnerships in 2017.[102]

Marriages

edit

In the first month following the entry into force of the gender-neutral marriage law, 857 same-sex marriages took place in Finland, of which 87 were newly performed and 770 were registered partnerships converted to marriages.[103][104] By August 2017, 1,578 same-sex marriages had taken place in the country, of which 456 were new marriages and 1,122 were partnerships converted to marriages.[105][106]

The following table shows the number of marriages and divorces performed in Finland as per data published by Statistics Finland. It does not include conversions from registered partnerships.[107][108]

Year Same-sex marriages Total marriages Same-sex divorces Total divorces
Female Male Total Female Male Total
2017 373 181 554 26,542 1 1 2 13,485
2018 242 145 387 23,799 23 6 29 13,145
2019 263 113 376 22,296 42 12 54 13,365
2020 272 123 395 22,082 63 25 88 13,478
2021 265 110 375 19,579 68 17 85 12,166
2022 291 132 423 21,942 80 26 106 11,370
2023 254 119 373 20,693 106 28 134 11,475

Religious performance

edit

Same-sex marriage remains a controversial topic in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the largest Christian denomination in Finland.[109] Thousands of Finns resigned from the Church in November 2014 due to comments made by some church officials supporting the new marriage legislation.[110] Many priests officiate at same-sex marriages and offer their blessings to the couples.[111] However, the matter is contentious within the Church. In November 2020, a group of ministers opposed to same-sex marriage called on the church synod to sanction priests who officiate at such marriages. Archbishop of Turku Tapio Luoma has called on dioceses not to sanction priests who perform marriages for same-sex couples, saying that the issue "cannot be settled by sanctions" but that "any solution for the [C]hurch must be based on the fact that there can be disagreement on the matter". A 2019 survey conducted by the University of Eastern Finland showed that 57% of priests in the Evangelical Lutheran Church would marry same-sex couples if explicitly permitted by the church leadership to do so.[112]

In September 2020, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland ruled that diocesan chapters may sanction priests who perform same-sex marriages.[113] The Diocese of Helsinki has taken a position not to issue warnings to priests who perform same-sex marriages.[111] In March 2024, the Bishops' Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland recommended a compromise provision where marriage would be defined both as between "a man and a woman" and between "two people". If approved by the General Synod, the measure would allow priests to perform same-sex marriages.[114][115] A vote is expected in November 2024.[116]

Public opinion

edit

Support for same-sex marriage in Finland has grown gradually since the 2000s. A December 2006 EU poll put Finnish support for same-sex marriage at 45%,[117] while an August 2010 survey conducted by Yle put support at 54% with 35% opposing it.[24] In January 2013, a poll by YouGov showed that support had increased to 57%, with 32% opposed and 12% unsure. In the same survey, support for adoption by same-sex couples was 51%, with 36% opposed and 13% unsure.[118][119] A March 2013 survey by Taloustutkimus found that 58% of Finns supported same-sex marriage.[120] In March 2014, a follow-up Taloustutkimus survey put support at 65% with 27% opposing and 8% unsure.[51]

A June 2014 survey showed that among clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 44% supported a gender-neutral marriage law, while 41% were opposed and 15% were neutral. 60% supported church blessings for registered partners, and 28% said the church should abandon the legislated duty to perform marriages if a gender-neutral marriage law is passed.[121]

The 2015 Eurobarometer found that 66% of Finns thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, while 28% were opposed.[122] A Pew Research Center poll, conducted between April and August 2017 and published in May 2018, showed that 64% of Finns supported same-sex marriage, 26% were opposed and 10% did not know or had refused to answer.[123] When divided by religion, 84% of religiously unaffiliated people, 62% of non-practicing Christians and 30% of church-attending Christians supported same-sex marriage.[124] Opposition was 12% among 18–34-year-olds.[125]

The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 76% of Finns thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, while 21% were opposed.[126] The 2023 Eurobarometer showed that support had increased to 76%, while 18% were opposed. The survey also found that 82% of Finns thought that "there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex", while 14% disagreed.[127]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Northern Sami: registrerejuvvon párragaskavuohta,[1] pronounced [ˈrekiːstrereˌjuvvon ˈpʰaːrraˌkasːkaˌvuo̯hta]; Inari Sami: registeristum parâkoskâvuotâ;[2] Skolt Sami: rekisterõsttum paarrõhttvuõtt.[3]
  2. ^ Article 1 of the Act states Kaksi henkilöä, jotka ovat sopineet menevänsä avioliittoon keskenään, ovat kihlautuneet. in Finnish, Två personer som har kommit överens om att ingå äktenskap med varandra är förlovade. in Swedish, translating to "Two people who have agreed to marry each other are engaged."

References

edit
  1. ^ "Vähemmistöjen sisäisten vähemmistöjen ihmisoikeudet ja moniperustainen syrjintä: saamelaiset vammaiset henkilöt ja seksuaali- ja sukupuolivähemmistöt – Unnitloguid siskkáldas unnitloguid olmmošvuoigatvuođat ja máŋggadáfot vealaheapmi: sápmelaš lámisolbmot ja seksuála- ja sohkabealleunnitlogut" (PDF). lauda.ulapland.fi. Rovaniemi. 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Peerâiäláttâh". www.kela.fi (in Inari Sami). Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Piârjeältõk". www.kela.fi (in Skolt Sami). Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Parliament narrowly passes law allowing same-sex registration". Helsingin Sanomat. 28 September 2001. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Laki rekisteröidystä parisuhteesta" (in Finnish). Finlex. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Finland allows gay couples to adopt partner's children". PinkNews. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Laki rekisteröidystä parisuhteesta annetun lain 9 §:n muuttamisesta" (in Finnish). FINLEX. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Avioliitto, avoliitto ja rekisteröity parisuhde" (in Finnish). Oikeus.fi. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Rekisteröidyn parisuhteen muuttaminen avioliitoksi" (in Finnish). Local Register Offices. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Suomi liittyy 23 maan joukkoon – Näissä maissa oikeus avioliittoon ei riipu kumppanin sukupuolesta". Yle (in Finnish). 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  11. ^ Berghäll, Camilla (1 March 2017). "Den jämlika äktenskapslagen träder i kraft". Yle (in Swedish). Helsinki. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Slim majority of Finnish MPs against same-sex marriage -Poll". Helsinki Times. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  13. ^ "Homoliitot jakavat eduskunnan". MTV3 (in Finnish). 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  14. ^ "Widespread support within Parliamentary parties for gender-neutral marriage". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  15. ^ Nordal, Erlingur (23 April 2010). "Finnish parliamentary support for gay marriage and adoption rights". IceNews. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  16. ^ "NCP's Conflicting Stands on Swedish in Finland". Yle. 13 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Lehdet: Zyskowicz toppuuttelee sukupuolineutraalia avioliittolakia". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  18. ^ "NCP delegates endorse abolition of mandatory Swedish, gender-neutral marriage". Helsingin Sanomat. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Rikkaus lisääntyy jakamalla". Left Alliance (in Finnish). 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  20. ^ "Vihreä tehtävä 2010–2014 – poliittinen ohjelma". Green League (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  21. ^ Huuskonen, Matti (28 June 2010). "Stubb vaati homopareille täyttä adoptio-oikeutta Helsinki Priden avajaisissa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  22. ^ "Gender-Neutral Marriage Law Possible by 2012". Yle. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Avioliittolaki ja uskonto kuumentavat alkavaa vaalitaistoa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 17 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Survey: Majority Favour Gender Neutral Marriage Law". Yle. 21 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  25. ^ Hämäläinen, Marko; Rokka, Jussi (25 April 2011). "Homoparien ulkopuolinen adoptio jakaa uuden eduskunnan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  26. ^ "Neuvottelutulos hallitusohjelmasta" (PDF) (in Finnish). Cabinet of Finland. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  27. ^ "Sukupuolineutraalia avioliittolakia ei hallitusohjelmaan". Yle (in Finnish). 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  28. ^ "BREAKING NEWS: Multiparty initiative to change marriage legislation to allow same-sex marriages". Helsingin Sanomat. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  29. ^ "NEWS ANALYSIS: Marriage equality issue left over from government formation talks". Helsingin Sanomat. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Parties propose gender neutral marriage". Yle. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  31. ^ "Marriage equality bill divides Parliament". Helsingin Sanomat. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  32. ^ Vassinen, Eero (21 March 2012). "Finnish MPs seek to legalize same-sex marriage". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  33. ^ "Lakialoite 2/2012 vp" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Parliamentary committee narrowly blocks same-sex marriage". Yle. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  35. ^ "Committee votes against bill for equal marriage rights". Helsinki Times. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  36. ^ "Tahdon2013" (in Finnish). Tasa-arvoinen Suomi ry. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  37. ^ Morgan, Joe (1 March 2013). "Finland votes against gay marriage". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  38. ^ Toivonen, Terhi (19 March 2013). "Tasa-arvoisen avioliittolain kansalaisaloitteella jo 100 000 nimeä kasassa". Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  39. ^ a b "Kansalaisaloite tasa-arvoisesta avioliittolaista Suomen nykyinen lainsäädäntö asettaa ihmiset eriarvoiseen asemaan. Vain nainen ja mies voivat avioitua keskenään. Rekisteröidyssä parisuhteessa olevilla pareilla on samat velvollisuudet muttei samoja oikeuksia. Tasa-arvoinen avioliittolaki takaisi jokaiselle oikeuden mennä avioliittoon riippumatta puolison sukupuolesta. Näin kaikki parit olisivat lain edessä yhdenvertaisia" (in Finnish). Ministry of Justice of Finland. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  40. ^ "Citizens' initiatives in Finland". Ministry of Justice of Finland. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  41. ^ "The Constitution of Finland" (PDF). Ministry of Justice of Finland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  42. ^ "Legislative work of Parliament". Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015.
  43. ^ Romero, Rebeca (6 March 2013). "Kannattaako kansalaisaloitteen tekeminen?". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Alma Media. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  44. ^ Halminen, Laura; Rantanen, Miska (12 March 2013). "Tiitisen puheille kansalaisaloitteesta tyrmäys: "Hän on väärässä"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  45. ^ "Parliament mulls how to deal with citizens' initiatives". Yle. 13 March 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  46. ^ "Kansalaisaloitteelle vastaus kuudessa kuukaudessa". Parliament of Finland. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
  47. ^ Potts, Andrew (20 September 2013). "Finland's Parliament to consider gay marriage after popular campaign". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  48. ^ Luukka, Teemu; Teivainen, Aleksi (13 December 2013). "Initiative for equal Marriage Act presented to Parliament". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  49. ^ Aro, Jessikka (27 February 2014). "Homoliittojen käsittely eduskunnassa jatkuu – lakivaliokunnalta yksimielinen päätös". Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  50. ^ Uusivaara, Terhi (13 March 2014). "Sukupuolineutraalin avioliittolain kannattajat: Ihmisten tarpeeton luokittelu poistettava" [Supporters of gender-neutral marriage act: "People's unnecessary classification has to stop"]. Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  51. ^ a b "Tahdon2013-kysely: Samaa sukupuolta olevien avioliiton kannatus noussut". Yle (in Finnish). 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  52. ^ "Legal committee votes against gay marriage". Yle. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016.
  53. ^ Pohjanpalo, Olli; Rantanen, Annika; Saarikoski, Laura; Teivainen, Aleksi (25 June 2014). "Initiative for equal marriage rights turned down by Legal Affairs Committee". Helsinki Times, Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  54. ^ "MPs to face conscience vote on gay marriage". Yle. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  55. ^ Nieminen, Martta; Teivainen, Aleksi (20 November 2014). "Legal Affairs Committee re-affirms opposition to equal marriage rights". Helsinki Times, Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  56. ^ "Finnish Parliament approves same-sex marriage". Yle. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  57. ^ Rosendahl, Jussi; Ercanbrack, Anna (28 November 2014). "Finland votes to legalise same-sex marriage". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  58. ^ "Stora utskottet sade ja till könsneutral äktenskapslag". Yle (in Swedish). 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015.
  59. ^ Nieminen, Martta; Teivainen, Aleksi (3 December 2014). "Grand Committee votes for equal marriage rights". Helsinki Times, Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  60. ^ "Parliament Approves Equal Marriage Rights". Parliament of Finland. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  61. ^ "Second vote approval of gender-neutral marriage bill". Yle. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  62. ^ Nurmi, Eero (12 December 2014). "Eduskunta hyväksyi kansalaisaloitteen avioliittolain muuttamisesta". Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  63. ^ "President signs gender-neutral marriage law". Yle. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016.
  64. ^ Morgan, Joe (20 February 2015). "Finland president signs gay marriage law - couples will have to wait to get married until 2017". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  65. ^ "Same-sex marriage law goes into effect in Finland". Yle. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  66. ^ Duffy, Nick (1 March 2017). "Same-sex weddings finally begin today in Finland". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  67. ^ Robins-Early, Nick (1 March 2017). "Finland Allows Same-Sex Marriages for the First Time". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  68. ^ "Kansalaisaloite eduskunnalle avioliittolain, rekisteröidystä parisuhteesta annetun lain ja transseksuaalin sukupuolen vahvistamisesta annetun lain muuttamisesta (KAA 3/2013 vp) - Toinen käsittely" (in Finnish). 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  69. ^ Granholm, Alexander (20 April 2015). "Så här tycker den nya riksdagen". Yle (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  70. ^ "Justice minister to reluctantly present same-sex marriage legislation". Yle. 22 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  71. ^ Auvinen, Pirjo (22 October 2015). "Avioliittolaista hurja väittely eduskunnassa: "Ministerit ja kansanedustajat ovat saaneet tehtävänsä Jumalalta"". Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  72. ^ "Valiokunnan mietintö LaVM 7/2015 vp HE 65/2015 vp". Parliament of Finland (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  73. ^ "Parliament approves same-sex marriage legislation". Yle. 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  74. ^ "All systems go for gender-neutral marriage in 2017". Yle. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  75. ^ "Tasavallan presidentin esittely 8.4.2016" (in Finnish). President of Finland. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  76. ^ "HE 65/2015 vp" (PDF) (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  77. ^ "Hallituksen esitys eduskunnalle eräiksi avioliittolain muutoksen edellyttämiksi lainmuutoksiksi - Toinen käsittely" (in Finnish). 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  78. ^ "HE 232/2016 vp" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  79. ^ Mollgren, Sami (3 November 2016). "Hallitus antoi esityksen avioliittolain uudistukseen liittyvistä sosiaaliturvalakien muutoksista". ranneliike.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  80. ^ "Eduskunta hyväksyi lakiesityksiä tiistain täysistunnossa" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  81. ^ Mollgren, Sami (13 December 2016). "Eduskunta hyväksyi avioliittolain uudistuksen toisen liitännäislakipaketin". ranneliike.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  82. ^ "Tasavallan presidentin esittely 13.1.2017" (in Finnish). President of Finland. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  83. ^ Mollgren, Sami (13 January 2017). "Avioliittolain uudistus valmis: presidentti vahvisti toisen liitännäislakipaketin". ranneliike.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  84. ^ "HE 232/2016 vp" (PDF) (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  85. ^ "Hallituksen esitys eduskunnalle laeiksi sairausvakuutuslain ja elatustukilain 6 ja 8 §:n muuttamisesta sekä eräiksi muiksi avioliittolain muutokseen liittyviksi laeiksi - Toinen käsittely" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  86. ^ Pohjanpalo, Olli (14 December 2016). "Koko Rkp:n ryhmä painoi väärää nappia – äänesti vahingossa väärin eduskunnassa isyysrahalain käsittelyssä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  87. ^ "Pöytäkirjan asiakohta PTK1322016 vp - 11. Hallituksen esitys eduskunnalle laeiksi sairausvakuutuslain ja elatustukilain 6 ja 8 §:n muuttamisesta sekä eräiksi muiksi avioliittolain muutokseen liittyviksi laeiksi" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  88. ^ "Kansalaisaloite avioliiton säilyttämisestä aidosti tasa-arvoisena, miehen ja naisen välisenä liittona ja sukupuolineutraalin avioliittolain kumoamisesta. Sukupuolineutraali avioliitto riistää adoptiolapselta mahdollisuuden korvaavaan kokemukseen eri sukupuolta olevista vanhemmista, isästä ja äidistä. Lapsen oikeus olla isän ja äidin hoidettavana ei voi toteutua samaa sukupuolta olevien avioliitossa. Samaa sukupuolta olevien parien oikeudet on huomioitu riittävällä tavalla parisuhdelaissa". Ministry of Justice of Finland (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  89. ^ "KAA 2/2016 vp" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  90. ^ "Parliament debates initiative to deny same-sex couples right to marry". Helsinki Times. 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  91. ^ Mollgren, Sami (15 February 2017). "Lakivaliokunta esittää Aito avioliito -kansalaisaloitteen hylkäämistä - aloite eduskunnan täysistuntoon". ranneliike.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  92. ^ "Parliament moves to reject initiative to void same-sex marriage law". Yle. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  93. ^ "Valiokunnan mietintö LaVM 1/2017 vp - KAA 2/2016 vp" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  94. ^ "Finnish Parliament votes down bid to repeal same-sex marriage". Yle. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  95. ^ Rosendahl, Jussi; Forsell, Tuomas (17 February 2017). "Finnish parliament confirms same-sex marriage law". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  96. ^ Hautanen, Suvi (17 February 2017). "Aito avioliitto -kansalaisaloite kaatui eduskunnassa äänin 120–48". Verkkouutiset (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  97. ^ a b "Kansalaisaloite avioliiton säilyttämisestä aidosti tasa-arvoisena, miehen ja naisen välisenä liittona ja sukupuolineutraalin avioliittolain kumoamisesta - Toinen käsittely" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  98. ^ "Ben Zyskowicz: Saattaa olla, että äänestin väärin, mutta äänestin oman näkemykseni mukaisesti" (in Finnish). Verkkouutiset. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  99. ^ "Pöytäkirjan asiakohtaPTK92017 vp (Täysistunto Perjantai: 17.2.2017 klo 12.59—13.31)" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  100. ^ "Punkt i protokolletPR92017 rd (Plenum Fredag: 17.2.2017 kl. 12.59—13.31)" (in Finnish). Parliament of Finland. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  101. ^ Prindiville, Nicholas. "Same-sex marriage in Finland means standing up to Russia". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  102. ^ "Ändringar i civilstånd efter Händelsemånad, År och Uppgifter". stat.fi (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  103. ^ "Over 800 couples marry in first month of legal same-sex unions". Yle. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  104. ^ Mollgren, Sami (4 April 2017). "Kaikkiaan 857 samaa sukupuolta olevaa paria avioliittoon maaliskuussa 2017". ranneliike.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  105. ^ "Maalis-elokuussa yhteensä 1578 samaa sukupuolta olevaa paria avioliittoon". Väestörekisterikeskus (in Finnish). 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  106. ^ Eloranta, Ville (5 September 2017). "Yli 1 500 samaa sukupuolta olevaa paria meni naimisiin Suomessa ensimmäisen puolen vuoden aikana". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  107. ^ "Solmittujen avioliittojen määrä väheni huomattavasti". Statistics Finland (in Finnish). 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  108. ^ "Ändringar i civilstånd, 1990-2020". Statistics Finland (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  109. ^ "Who can have a church wedding?". Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  110. ^ Eroakirkosta.fi - Tänään eronnut 1052 ihmistä klo 11:n mennessä - 2600 jätti kirkon eilen. Archived 10 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  111. ^ a b "Gay marriage deepens Finnish Lutheran Church divisions". Yle. 6 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  112. ^ "Survey: Most priests would marry gay couples if permitted by church". Yle. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  113. ^ "Court: Church warning to pastor who performed gay wedding was legal". Yle. 18 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  114. ^ "Lutheran Church bishops back same-sex marriage". Yle. 13 March 2024.
  115. ^ "Piispat saattavat pian esittää historiallista muutosta: samaa sukupuolta olevia voisi vihkiä avioliittoon". Yle (in Finnish). 12 March 2024.
  116. ^ Hirvonen, Heinimaija (17 May 2024). "Piispojen esitys rinnakkaisista avioliittokäsityksistä eteni valiokuntien puitavaksi". Yle (in Finnish).
  117. ^ "Eight EU Countries Back Same-Sex Marriage". Angus Reid Public Opinion. 24 December 2006. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  118. ^ "Same-Sex Marriage in Europe Poll 2013". YouGov. 1 November 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  119. ^ "YouGov / EMEA Survey Results" (PDF). YouGov. 1 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  120. ^ "Poll: Over half of Finns favour same-sex marriage law". Yle. 9 March 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  121. ^ Lång, Linus (26 June 2014). "Många präster stöder könsneutral äktenskapslag". Yle (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  122. ^ "Special Eurobarometer 437" (PDF). Eurobarometer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016.
  123. ^ Religion and society Archived 18 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Pew Research Center, 29 May 2018
  124. ^ Being Christian in Western Europe Archived 25 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Pew Research Center, 29 May 2018
  125. ^ Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues Archived 3 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Pew Research Center, 2017
  126. ^ "Eurobarometer on Discrimination 2019: The social acceptance of LGBTI people in the EU". TNS. European Commission. p. 2. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  127. ^ "Eurobarometer 2023: Discrimination in the European Union". europa.eu. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
edit