Same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands

Same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has been legal since 1 July 2017. Legislation allowing civil same-sex marriage and adoption was approved by the Løgting on 29 April 2016. The Danish Parliament approved the necessary legislative adaptations on 25 April 2017, and the law received royal assent on 3 May and went into effect on 1 July 2017.

Registered partnerships

Unlike in Denmark and Greenland, registered partnerships (Faroese: skrásett parlag; Danish: registreret partnerskab) were never adopted in the Faroe Islands.

Same-sex marriage

Failed attempts in 2013/14

Same-sex marriage legislation first appeared in the Løgting after the Tórshavn gay pride parade in 2012. A set of bills to extend Denmark's same-sex marriage legislation to the Faroe Islands was submitted to the Løgting on 20 November 2013. If approved, they would have entered into force on 1 April 2014.[1][2][3] Opposition to the bills from the parties of the governing coalition crippled its passage and the bills were rejected at the second reading on 13 March 2014,[4] despite popular public support.[5][6][7][8]

Same-sex marriage became a significant issue during the September 2015 elections.[9]

Failure of legislation in March 2016

Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in Europe¹

  Marriage

  Civil union

  Limited domestic recognition (cohabitation)

  Limited foreign recognition (residency rights)

  Unrecognized

  Constitution limits marriage to opposite-sex couples

¹ May include recent laws or court decisions that have not yet entered into effect.

---

Following the election, independent MP Sonja Jógvansdóttir along with Republic MP Bjørt Samuelsen, Social Democratic MP Kristianna Winther Poulsen and Progress MP Hanna Jensen submitted a same-sex marriage bill identical to the 2013 one to the Parliament Secretariat.[10] The proposal, along with a bill permitting same-sex divorce, entered the Løgting on 17 November 2015. If approved, the law would be scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 2016.

The first reading took place on 24 November 2015.[11][12] Though a majority of the committee scrutinising the bill were said to be in favour of same-sex marriage,[13] the second reading was postponed to the third week of March 2016.[13][14] On 14 March 2016, the Welfare Committee presented their recommendation to the Løgting. Despite divisions, a majority of committee members including Katrin Kallsberg, Sonja Jógvansdóttir, Óluva Klettskarð and Djóni N. Joensen recommended the Parliament to pass the bill. Members of the committee in the minority, such as Kaj Leo Johannesen, Jenis av Rana and Jógvan á Lakjuni, recommended that the bill be rejected.[15]

The second reading was held on 16 March 2016.[16] There was not a majority for the proposal, as two members from the governing coalition, Kristin Michelsen and Heðin Mortensen of the Social Democratic Party, said that they could not vote in favor of the proposal at that point, and suggested that the bill be sent back to the Welfare Committee. They and several other members of the Løgting raised concerns that the legislation would mandate a right to same-sex marriages in the Church of the Faroe Islands.

Following a short break, the Løgting voted to send the bill back to the committee by a vote of 26–2 with 5 abstentions.[17][18][19] During the debate, several conservative members, who had vocally stated their opposition to same-sex partnerships in the past, said they would support legalizing registered partnerships for same-sex couples.

Some members of the Løgting raised concerns about Section 14,2 of the Danish Marriage Act (Danish: Ægteskabsloven; Faroese: Hjúnabandslóg), which stated that couples who have a civil marriage may have their marriage blessed by the state church.[20] In response to this concern, the Welfare Committee later moved an amendment stating that the proposed new marriage law in the Faroe Islands would not be implemented by the Løgting before Section 14,2 had been either deleted or refrased.[20]

Passage in the Løgting in April 2016

The bill returned to the Løgting in its amended form for a second reading on 26 April 2016.[21] Debate began at 11am and concluded well after midnight on 27 April. During the debate, Heðin Mortensen of the Social Democratic Party introduced a proposal to conduct a referendum on the subject, which precipitated a crisis in the Coalition Government.[22][23] During a 90-minute break in proceedings, Mortensen engaged in high-level talks on the matter with Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen and other members of the Løgting. He eventually withdrew his proposal, telling Kringvarp Føroya that he would not risk dividing or even possibly dissolving the Coalition Government.[24]

A few minutes later, a vote was held on the second reading, resulting in 19 votes in favour and 14 against. Every Government MP, Independent MP Sonja Jógvansdóttir and two Opposition MPs (Magni Laksáfoss and Edmund Joensen of the Union Party) voted in favor.[25][26][27] The bill was approved in its third and final reading on 29 April, again by a 19–14 vote.[28][29][30] At this point, a vote was held on a proposal for a referendum on the subject, though it was defeated in a 16–17 vote.[31]

29 April 2016 vote in the Parliament of the Faroe Islands[32]

Party	Voted for	Voted against
G  Social Democratic Party	7 Helena Dam á Neystabø Bjarni Hammer Djóni Nolsøe Joensen Jónleif Johannesen Heðin Mortensen Kristin Michelsen Kristianna Winther Poulsen	–
G  Republic	7 Annita á Fríðriksmørk Páll á Reynatúgvu Pauli Trond Háfoss Katrin Kallsberg Óluva Klettskarð Ingolf Sólheim Olsen Bjørt Samuelsen	–
People's Party	–	6 Jógvan á Lakjuni Elsebeth Mercedis Gunnleygsdóttur Jákup Mikkelsen Jørgen Niclasen Annika Olsen Jacob Vestergaard
Union Party	2 Edmund Joensen Magni Laksáfoss	4 Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen Bjørn Kalsø Bárður Nielsen Magnus Rasmussen
G  Progress	2 Hanna Jensen Ruth Vang	–
Centre Party	–	2 Jenis av Rana Bill Justinussen
New Self-Government Party	–	2 Kári P. Højgaard Bárður Kass Nielsen
Independent	1 Sonja Jógvansdóttir	–
Total	19	14

Additional legislation and commencement in 2017

The Faroese bill required amendments to Danish marriage law to be enacted by the Danish Parliament. A bill to this effect was introduced to the Danish Parliament on 8 February 2017,[33][34] and had its first reading on 28 February 2017.[35][36] The relevant parliamentary committee approved the bill on 4 April, and the second reading was held on 20 April 2017.[37][38] The bill passed third and final reading on 25 April 2017, by a vote of 108–0 with 71 abstentions.[39] It received royal assent on 3 May 2017.[40][33][41] On 30 May 2017, the Løgting passed legislation which exempts the Church of the Faroe Islands from the obligation to bless same-sex marriages, by a vote of 18–14 with no abstentions.[42][43][44] Finally, a Danish royal decree formally necessary to give effect to the initial Løgting decision of 29 April 2016 was issued on 12 June 2017 and published on 16 June.[45] Same-sex marriages have been available from 1 July 2017, the date the law came into effect.[46] The first same-sex wedding in the Faroe Islands was performed on 6 September 2017.[47][48]

Public opinion

A May 2013 Gallup survey found that 68% of Faroese people supported same-sex civil marriage, 27% were against and 5% were undecided.[49][50]

Another poll conducted in May 2014 found that regional divisions were significant in attitudes towards same-sex marriage, despite its overall results being similar to previous polls (62% support, 28% opposition and 10% undecided). Respondents in Norðoyar and Eysturoy showed 42% and 48% support, respectively, and were less likely to support same-sex marriage than those in Suðurstreymoy, which contains the capital Tórshavn, at 76% support.[51]

Another poll conducted in August 2014 found that out of 600 respondents, 61% supported same-sex marriage, 32% opposed it and the rest were undecided.[52]

A poll conducted by Gallup Føroyar in April 2016, requested by Kringvarp Føroya and Miðlahúsið (Sosialurin, in.fo and Rás2), asked respondents whether they supported legalizing civil same-sex-marriage. 64% were in favour. Support decreased with an increasing age; for young people between 18 and 24, as many as 79% were in favor, while for people who were 60 or above, 53% were in favor and 40% were against.[53] The capital area, Suðurstreymoy, had the highest level of support with 79%, while opposition mostly came from Norðoyar and Eysturoy which showed 45% and 42% opposition respectively. A majority of voters from most political parties supported same-sex marriage; Progress voters with 89%, followed by Republic voters with 83%, 75% of Social Democratic voters and 62% of Self-Government Party voters. 50% of voters from both the Union Party and the People's Party also supported same-sex marriage. Centre Party voters were the only notable exception, with only 16% supporting same-sex marriage, while 84% were against.[54][55]

A poll conducted in September 2019 found that 71.1% of respondents were against repealing the law allowing same-sex marriage, 16.3% were in favour and 12.6% were undecided.[56]

See also

• LGBT rights in the Faroe Islands
• Same-sex marriage in Denmark
• Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe

References

1. (in Faroese)51/2013 Uppskot til ríkislógartilmæli um at seta í gildi fyri Føroyar partar av broytingum í hjúnabandslógini og rættarvirknaðarlógini við tilhoyrandi skjølum
2. (in Faroese) 52/2013 Uppskot til ríkislógartilmæli um broyting í rættargangslógini fyri Føroyar
3. (in Faroese) 53/2013 Uppskot til ríkislógartilmæli um broyting í “Anordning om ikrafttræden for Færøerne af lov om ægteskabs indgåelse og opløsning”
4. (in Danish) Færøerne klar til homovielser – og så ikke alligevel
5. Faroe Islands: Equal marriage bill voted down
6. (in Faroese) Løgtingssetan 2013 Mál: 51 Viðgerð: 2
7. (in Faroese) Løgtingssetan 2013 Mál: 52 Viðgerð: 2
8. (in Faroese) Løgtingssetan 2013 Mál: 53 Viðgerð: 2
9. Gay marriage in focus as Faroe Islands votes
10. Uppskot at broyta hjúnabandslógina latið tinginum
11. (in Faroese) 19/2015 Uppskot til rikislógartilmæli um at seta í gildi fyri Føroyar partar av broytingum í hjúnabandslógini og rættarvirknaðarlógini
12. (in Faroese) Dagsskráin 2015 – Týsdagur, 24. November 2015, kl. 10:00
13. Magnason, Svein (26 February 2016). "Nú kemur álitið um hjúnabandslógina" (in Faroese). Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
14. Gregersen, Árni (9 March 2016). "Málið um samkynd ikki klárt enn" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
15. "Álit í løgtingsmáli nr. 19/2015: Uppskot til ríkislógartilmæli um at seta í gildi fyri Føroyar partar av broytingum í hjúnabandslógini og rættarvirknaðarlógini" (PDF) (in Faroese). Logting.fo. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
16. Gaard, Heini (15 March 2016). "Lagnan hjá hjúnabandslógini avgjørd mikudagin" (in Faroese). Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
17. Johannesen, Johnsigurd (16 March 2016). "Hjúnabandslógin aftur í Trivnaðarnevndina" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
18. Bjerregaard, Morten; Christiansen, Michael Ørtz (16 March 2016). "Færøsk lagting køber sig tid – stemmer homovielser tilbage i udvalg". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 17 March 2016.
19. Rana, Danjal av (16 March 2016). "Setur sítt álit á Sambandsflokkin" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
20. Løwe, Beinta (28 March 2016). "Hjúnabandslógin úr nevnd áðrenn summarferiuna" (in Faroese). Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
21. Hjúnabandslógin til viðgerðar aftur týsdagin
22. Holm, Barbara (26 April 2016). "- Føli meg hóttan av samgonguni" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
23. Gregersen, Árni (27 April 2016). "Drama í Løgtingnum í nátt" (in Faroese). Ting.fo. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
24. Johannesen, Uni Holm (27 April 2016). "»Eg ofraði meg sjálvan – eina løtu, í øllum førum«" (in Faroese). Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
25. Gregersen, Árni (27 April 2016). "Uppskot um at samkynd kunnu giftast samtykt" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
26. "Faroe Islands approves same-sex unions". EUobserver. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
27. W, Christian (28 April 2016). "Faroe Islands on the cusp of same-sex marriage". The Copenhagen Post. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
28. "Faroe Islands legalizes same-sex marriage". Local.fo. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
29. Rawles, Timothy (29 April 2016). "Faroe Islands legalizes same-sex marriage". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
30. Rahaman, Shifa (1 May 2016). "Faroe Islands says yes to same-sex marriage". The Copenhagen Post. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
31. "Atkvøtt um fólkaatkvøðu og hjúnabandslógina". ting.fo. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
32. "Partar av broytingum í hjúnabandslógini og rættarvirknaðarlógini – Voting results (3rd Reading)" (in Faroese). 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
33. "L 129 Forslag til lov om ændring af lov for Færøerne om rettens pleje" (in Danish). Folketing. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
34. "Danir fara at eftirlíka ynskinum úr Føroyum". in.fo (in Faroese). Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
35. Joensen, Kaj (28 February 2017). "Vejen banes for homoseksuelle vielser på Færøerne". Sermitsiaq.AG (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
36. Nørrelund Sørensen, Helle (1 March 2017). "Udsigt til homoseksuelle vielser på Færøerne". Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (in Danish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
37. "L 129 – Betænkning afgivet af Færøudvalget den 4. april 2017" (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
38. "L 129 – 2. behandling" (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
39. "L 129 – Afstemning" (in Danish). Folketing. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
40. "Lov om ændring af lov for Færøerne om rettens pleje (International kompetence i ægteskabssager)" (in Danish). Government of Denmark. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
41. "Faroe Islands' Same-sex Marriage Bill Receives Royal Assent". The Perchy Bird Blog. 10 May 2017.
42. "Gerðabók" (in Faroese). Løgting. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
43. "Løgtingslóg um broyting í anordning om ikrafttræden for Færøerne af lov om ægteskabs indgåelse og opløsning (Act of the Løgting amending the Order on the Entry into Force in the Faroe Islands of the Marriage (Celebration and Dissolution) Act)".
44. "Faroe Islands becomes 23rd country in the world to legalise gay marriage". LGBT Føroya. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017.
45. "Anordning nr. 724 frá 12. juni 2017 om delvis ikrafttræden for Færøerne af lov om ægteskabs indgåelse og opløsning, lov om ægteskabets retsvirkninger og retsplejeloven og om ophævelse af lov om registreret partnerskab" (in Danish). Kunngerðablað B. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
46. "1. juli 2017: Nú kunnu samkynd giftast". portal.fo. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017.
47. "Første homoseksuelle par gift på Færøerne". DR (in Danish). 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
48. W., Christian (7 September 2017). "Faroe Islands hosts its first ever same-sex marriage". The Copenhagen Post. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
49. Poll: 68% approve of equal marriage in the Faroe Islands
50. Large majority agrees with civil marriage for homosexuals
51. Norðoyingar og eysturoyingar ikki heilt sannførdir um borgarliga vígslu av samkyndum
52. Faroe Islands poll: 61% support same-sex marriage
53. Lindenskov, Eirikur (21 April 2016). "Greiður meiriluti í øllum aldursbólkum sigur »ja«" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
54. Jógvansdóttir, Sára (21 April 2016). "Kanning: 64 prosent fyri at broyta hjúnabandslóg" (in Faroese). Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
55. Lindenskov, Eirikur (23 April 2016). "Samkynd giftast: Veljarar hjá seks flokkum siga ja" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
56. "Spyr.fo: 71 prosent vilja varðveita hjúnabandslógina" (in Faroese). portal.fo. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.