Pretty astonishing news from Albania today: the predominantly Muslim country is set to legalize marriage equality for same-sex couples. More below the fold.
This is going to be a brief diary, but I found this news to be pretty significant. Homosexuality was effectively decriminalized in 1995. Yesterday, however, Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced that his government would introduce legislation legalizing marriage equality:
"This is an important law against discrimination," said Berisha, who often stresses the importance of family values.
The prime minister said that the law had already been put to parliament and that MPs should treat it seriously because it provides a legal basis against discrimination, bringing the country into line with a framework already approved by the EU, which Albania aspires to join.
Although deeply secular, Albania is one of the three countries in Europe with a Muslim majority - with Bosnia and Kosovo - and it is unclear how the government’s decision will be accepted by the public.
While the Albanian parliament decriminalised homosexual relationships in 1995, more than a decade later, gays and lesbians are still heavily stigmatised, and a majority live clandestine lives, fearing that if their sexual orientation is discovered their safety will be endangered.
Albania has also addressed gay rights at the UN, having signed on to a General Assembly statement declaring that human rights include sexual orientation and gender identity.
So today, some cheers for Albania. Sorry for the brevity, but I thought it newsworthy. Albania removed prohibitions on same-sex sexuality only in 1995, nearly a decade ahead of the US decision in Lawrence v. Texas. Fourteen years later, the government is advancing legislation to eradicate discrimination in family life. The US could learn some lessons from Albania.