The advocates of same-sex marriage in Switzerland speak of a “historic” result: on Sunday, the Swiss voted in a referendum to open marriage. Opponents had warned of the “death of the father” until the very end.
Switzerland legalizes same-sex marriage: In the referendum on Sunday, 64.1 percent of those eligible to vote were in favor of marriage for all, as the country’s authorities announced. The Swiss government, the Federal Council, announced that the new provisions would be implemented quickly. The result has been hailed as “historic” in many places by the advocates of same-sex marriage.
“This is a day of celebration, of victory after eight years of campaigning,” said Deborah Haenni of the Libero Association, which had advocated the “yes”. By allowing same-sex marriages in Switzerland, it is similar to other countries in terms of openness and progress, said Haenni.
“Anyone who loves each other and wants to get married should be allowed to do so in the future”
Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said the new law is expected to come into force on July 1, 2022. “From this point on, same-sex couples should be allowed to marry civilly,” said Keller-Sutter. Registered partnerships could be converted into marriages from this point in time.
Saying yes to marriage for everyone is “a” form of recognition by society, “said the minister. The state should not dictate how people should organize their private lives.” Those who love each other and want to get married should be allowed to do so in the future – no matter in which constellation. “
Critics fear the “death of the father”
Same-sex marriage is already legal in most Western European countries. The Netherlands started in 2001, France followed in 2013, and this has been the case in Germany since 2017. Even if the polls predicted a “yes” from the Swiss, it was more clear than many expected.
The critics of the legalization had initiated the referendum and led an offensive campaign to prevent the new law. Among other things, it provides that same-sex couples can adopt children together. Lesbian women can also be artificially fertilized in a homosexual partnership. This point was particularly controversial, the opponents declared that this meant “the death of the father”.
Homophobia is a criminal offense in Switzerland
Up until now, same-sex couples in Switzerland could have registered civil partnerships. Around 700 such partnerships were concluded each year. However, such a relationship did not offer the same rights as a marriage, for example with regard to questions of citizenship or the adoption of children.
Homosexuality has not been punished in Switzerland since 1942. However, numerous regional police stations still kept so-called “gay registers” until the 1990s.
At the beginning of 2020, homophobia was made a criminal offense in Switzerland, and after years of debate, the Swiss parliament also passed a resolution in favor of homosexual marriage in the country with a population of 8.6 million. The government and parliament had sought electorate approval for the law to end the “unequal treatment” of heterosexual and homosexual couples.
Further vote on income taxation
In addition to the referendum on same-sex marriage, there was also a vote on income taxation. The so-called 99 percent initiative put forward by the Jusos called for income from capital income above a certain threshold to be taxed one and a half times as high as wages. According to forecasts by gfs.bern, the majority of the initiative was rejected.
According to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, one percent of the Swiss population has around 42 percent of the total wealth in the country. The 99 percent initiative was intended to create more distributive justice – in favor of the 99 percent who are not among the richest.
You can see in the video: presenter and actor Jochen Schropp is homosexual – and that makes donating blood practically impossible for him. In the #VOXVoice format, he calls for an end to discrimination.
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