Bermuda becomes first country to repeal same-sex marriage

Bermuda has become the world's first country to repeal same-sex marriage just six months after it became legal on the island.

On Friday, the House of Assembly passed a legislation that replaces same-sex marriage with domestic partnerships. The Domestic Partnership Act 2017, which states that marriage is only between a man and a woman, was approved by a vote of 24–10, following a five-hour debate.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Bermuda after the Supreme Court ruled in May that the island's Registrar-General could not reject a same-sex couple's application to marry. The judge argued that the traditional definition of marriage was "inconsistent with the provisions of the Human Rights Act as they constitute deliberate different treatment on the basis of sexual orientation."

The Supreme Court ruling went against a 2016 referendum in which voters overwhelmingly rejected same-sex marriage and civil unions.

The new legislation would prevent any further same-sex marriages on the island, but it would not affect gay couples who were already married, Jamaica Observer reported.

Home Affairs Minister Walton Brown, who introduced the bill, said that the measure retains legal rights for same-sex couples.

"We need to find a way in Bermuda to fully embrace greater rights for all members of the community. But the status quo will not stand. On the ground, the political reality is that if we do not lead we would have a private member's bill tabled to outlaw same-sex marriage," Brown said before his bill was passed.

During the debate, the liberal Progressive Labour Party (PLP) backbencher Lawrence Scott maintained that the legislation provides the "LGBTQ community the benefits it has been asking for," but retains "the traditional definition of marriage."

The bill has been denounced by several lawmakers, including opposition leader Jeanne Atherden who said: "We are taking away rights that have been granted to communities of individuals who want to start families."

Jeff Baron, the Shadow Minister of National Security, described the bill as "flawed" and "shameful," adding that it was "stripping Bermuda's reputation naked for the world to see."

Same-sex marriage proponents celebrated the first gay wedding on the island in June when the Registrar-General officiated the marriage ceremony of Bermudian lawyer Julia Saltus and her partner Judith Aidoo.

The ceremony came less than a month after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bermudian native Winston Godwin and his partner Greg DeRoche in their case against the Registrar-General.

The May 5 court ruling cleared the way for DeRoche and Godwin to marry on the island, but the couple married in Toronto on May 20, saying that their legal battle had been about forcing an overdue change in Bermuda.

It is not known how many same-sex couples had married on the island since the first wedding was conducted in June.