Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's on
Thursday cheered initial approval of a gay marriage bill in the
British Parliament.
The bill, which seeks to legalize
marriage equality in Britain and Wales, cleared the House of Commons
after a 6-hour debate which included speeches from more than 70
members of parliament. The measure now moves to the committee stage.
(Related: British
House of Commons gives initial nod to gay marriage bill.)
“This is a huge step forward for
marriage equality everywhere, and we hope to see this latest bill
become law,” the company said in a Facebook
post.
Last year, Ben & Jerry's renamed
its Oh My! Apple Pie ice cream to Apple-y Ever After in the UK in
support of making Britain the 12th nation to legalize
marriage equality. The ice cream's packaging featured a gay male
couple dressed in tuxes while holding a bouquet of flowers atop a
wedding cake decorated with bands of gay rainbow colors.
In 2009, the ice cream maker renamed
Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby to celebrate passage of a gay marriage
law in its home state of Vermont.