Sweden Legalizes Gay Marriage

Sweden’s Parliament legalized gay marriage yesterday, becoming the fifth European country to do so, CNN reports. Registered partnerships were already permitted in the country, but the new law will allow same-sex couples to officially tie the knot starting May 1. The only party to oppose was the Christian Democrats, who had called for dumping the word “marriage” as a legal term altogether.

The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, and Spain also allow gay marriages. It will still be up to individual churches to decide if they want to wed gay couples. (More Sweden stories.)