A new survey has found a large majority
of Germans support marriage equality.
According to the poll commissioned by
German Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag, 75 percent of Germans
support same sex marriage, while 20 percent remain opposed.
Since 2001, gay and lesbian couples in
Germany can enter a civil partnership. The union, however, lacks
some of the benefits enjoyed by married couples, such as being able
to adopt children together.
The results come as a new push to
legalize marriage for gay couples is taking shape in Germany.
Last month, Thomas Oppermann, head of
the Social Democratic Party's (SPD) parliamentary faction, told Der
Spiegel magazine that the issue would be raised at the next
meeting of Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition, of which the
SPD is a junior partner.
Merkel has repeatedly stated her
opposition to marriage equality.
A survey by the Federal
Anti-Discrimination Bureau released in January found higher support,
with 83 percent of respondents saying marriage between two people of
the same sex should be allowed.