INTERNATIONAL
Switzerland Votes to Approve Marriage Equality
Referendum passes by nearly two-thirds majority vote
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Switzerland voted to approve
a referendum on
September 26 that would
grant same-sex marriage
rights to LGBTQ couples.
The referendum passed by a
nearly two-thirds majority vote,
with 64.1 percent of voters throwing
their weight behind same-sex
marriage, according to nationwide
results provided by the Swiss federal
chancellery, Reuters reports. Under
the new law, LGBTQ partners
not only have the right to get married
and adopt children, but lesbian
couples are allowed to access sperm
donations, and foreign partners can
gain approval for Swiss citizenship.
This decision puts Switzerland in
line with other western nations
that support marriage equality. For
years, Switzerland had remained
one of the few European countries
Switzerland voted to legalize same-sex marriage on September 26.
— Italy is another — without full
LGBTQ marriage rights.
Antonia Hauswirth of the national
committee “Marriage for
REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE
All” told Reuters that residents are
“happy and relieved” with the fi nal
results of the vote. Hauswirth added
that advocates and residents
alike took to the streets of Switzerland’s
capital Bern to celebrate the
historic victory.
Amnesty International echoed a
similar sentiment, calling the decision
a “milestone for equality.”
Last year, the country passed
a law protecting LGBTQ people
against discrimination, and Swiss
lawmakers loosened restrictions
to make it easier for trans people
to legally change their gender.
Transgender people there can now
take that step based on their own
sworn statement — rather than requesting
a doctor’s note about their
medical transition.
In 2007, Switzerland approved
same-sex civil partnerships, which
denied same-sex couples certain
marriage rights such as adopting
children. Swiss Justice Minister
Karin Keller-Sutter announced
that the new rules would take effect
in July of next year.
Dozens of Countries Ask UN to Protect Intersex Rights
The joint statement comes amid an ongoing fi ght for intersex rights
MBY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
More than 50 countries
issued a statement in
October urging the
United Nations Human
Rights Council to protect and
investigate abuses targeting intersex
individuals.
“We call on all member states
to take measures to combat violence
and discrimination against
intersex persons, develop policies
in close consultations with those
affected, ensure accountability, reverse
discriminatory laws and provide
victims with access to remedy,”
advocates in the statement, which
also called for the Human Rights
Council to hold states accountable
for medically unnecessary procedures.
“We also call on the Offi ce of
the High Commissioner for Human
Rights and on the Special Procedures
More than 50 countries issued a statement demanding that the UN protect intersex rights.
of this Council to continue
addressing and to scale up action
against violence and discrimination
based on sex characteristics
within their mandates and in their
JOHN MINCHILLO/POOL VIA REUTERS
work.”
The joint statement coincided
with the UN Human Rights Council’s
48th session in Geneva, Switzerland,
and highlights the global
human rights violations facing
the intersex community. The total
number of countries signing
on to the letter increased from last
year, when 37 countries delivered
a similar statement to the Human
Rights Council demanding that
they condemn “harmful practices,
violence, and discrimination based
on sex characteristics.”
In the letter, activists further
called for the Human Rights Council
to help “protect the autonomy” of
intersex children and adults, who
are often forced to endure medically
unnecessary procedures and
hormone treatments without their
consent.
Among the nations signing
the letter included Albania, Brazil,
Colombia, Denmark, Ireland,
Mexico, Namibia, South Africa,
the United Kingdom, and the
United States.
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