Lawmakers in Gibraltar have approved a
bill that recognizes gay and lesbian couples with civil partnerships.
The 2.3 square mile island off the
coast of Spain is home to almost 30,000 citizens; its Rock of
Gibraltar is a major tourist destination.
Gay and straight couples may enter a
civil partnership, which provides many of the benefits and
obligations of marriage, including the right to adopt.
Felix Alvarez, chairman of The Equal
Rights Group, applauded the move.
“It has been very difficult at times,
but we never doubted the change would eventually come, as we
witnessed how support grew larger and wider as we counted the years,”
Alvarez
said in a statement.
“For us, it is a source of much pride
that this respect for open discussion and constitutional means has,
with patience and determination, brought the fruit of much labor.”
Alvarez's group is also lobbying for
passage of a law which would prohibit businesses from discriminating
against the LGBT community
Gay sex was legalized in Gibraltar in
1993.