Germany Has Officially Legalised Same-Sex Marriage

Germany has officially made gay marriage legal, the BBC reports.

A snap vote was called and a clear majority of German MPs voted to legalise same-sex marriage, after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to a vote.

Previously, in 2013, Merkel was against gay men and lesbians having marital rights due to "children's welfare", and admitted to having a "hard time" with the subject, according to the BBC.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Credit: PA

Same-sex couples were therefore limited to civil unions, but the vote, which was given the go-ahead on Monday, secured their right to marry.

Up to 393 lawmakers reportedly voted to approve the notion, whereas 226 voted against.

AFP news agency reports that the German legal code will now read: "Marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex."

Merkel opposed the vote, however, she told members of the conservative Christian Democrat party (CDU) to "follow their conscience".

Sources: The BBC

Topics: LGBT, Germany

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.