Caribbean: Bonaire, St. Eustatius & Saba Islands to Recognize Gay Marriage

Married and registered gay couples will obtain legal protection against discrimination by government agencies in the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba after the islands have obtained their new status as public entities in the Dutch Kingdom. Articles will be included in the Civil Code for the BES islands stipulating that marriages or registered partnerships contracted in Holland will have the legal rights afforded them by Dutch Civil Law, State Secretary for Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten said in a letter to the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber in answer to Labour PvdA party questions. “Following Article 40 of the Statute, it is determined in Article 5 of the draft BES Public Entities Implementation Law that authenticated copies of contracts can be implemented anywhere in the Kingdom of Netherlands,” she stated. “This means that a marriage between persons of the same gender and a registered partnership should also be registered at the civil registries or census offices of the BES islands.” Full Story from The Daily Herald: http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/m189/gaym189.html

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.