Three former Dutch colonies are
preparing to introduce gay marriage and adoption laws as they come
under direct Dutch rule, Radio Netherlands reported.
The Netherlands Antilles, which
consists of five small islands in the Caribbean Sea, are scheduled to
be dissolved on October 10 and three of the islands are set to become
special municipalities of the Netherlands.
The islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint
Eustatitus are expected to adopt Dutch law. The two largest islands,
Curacao and Sint Maarten, are set to become independent states within
the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands of Curacao and Bonaire
are located off the Venezuelan coast, while Sint Eustatius, Saba and
Sint Maarten are located southeast of the Virgin Islands. In 1986,
the island of Aruba seceded to become an autonomous part of the
Netherlands.
Last week, the lower house of the Dutch
Parliament approved a bill to legalize gay marriage and adoption for
gay and lesbian couples by 2012 in the three socially conservative
islands coming under Dutch control. The Senate is expected to act on
the bill soon.
The Netherlands was the first country
to legalize gay marriage in 2000.