When Denmark held the first ever same-sex civil unions

Denmark became the first country in the world to legally recognize same-sex partnerships on October 1, 1989, and the BBC was there to film the ceremony, commemorating the day when “something changed in the human situation.” Recorded.

In 2024, it may seem unremarkable in many parts of the world, but in 1989 it was a plunge into the unknown. In May of the same year, Denmark’s parliament passed a law allowing homosexuals to enter into registered partnerships. Five months later, 11 couples arrived at Copenhagen City Hall in suits and boots to participate in a public ceremony that had never taken place before. It wasn’t quite the same step as marriage, but it was a huge leap towards equality.

The idea itself was so unusual at the time that the BBC’s Religion and Ethics program the core of the problemwas on hand to photograph the proceedings. Program host Joan Bakewell summed up the debate by saying, “The crux of the problem is that if one country stops seeing marriage as just between one man and one woman, then other countries ?How does it affect our view of marriage?” ?And if one European country could pass such a law, wouldn’t that ultimately affect the UK?”Her second It would be another 16 years before that question was answered.

The ceremony itself was similar to a regular wedding in many ways. The couple entered a small room and were asked by the mayor if they would like to cooperate with each other. The first couple to sign on the dotted line was Axel and Agil Akgil, who lived together for 41 years. Veteran gay rights activists have endured discrimination and abuse in the past. In 1948, the men used their original names Axel Lundahl Madsen and Egil Eskildsen. – was established Danish Gay Association. It took a long time for their partnership to be legally recognized. During the Citizens’ Union, they combined their names to create a new surname, Axgill.

The second of the 11 couples to form civil partnerships that day was Ivan Larsen, an ordained Lutheran minister, and psychologist Ove Karlsen. Larsen said she felt very lucky to be able to “have the same feelings as other people who are getting married.” “This is the first time in the history of the world that gays and lesbians have been able to do that,” he told the BBC. – You are not allowed to use the word “marriage”, so please don’t get married. – However, we are allowed to register partnerships with the same rights, except for a few things that heterosexuals have. It’s a kind of marriage. It means that we are now recognized not only as single people, but also as a couple. That’s unusual. ”

Civil partnerships differed from heterosexual marriages in three major ways. At least one partner had to be a Danish citizen, couples were not allowed to adopt children, and marriages could not be registered with the church. But as a priest, Larsen equated their union to a traditional Christian marriage. “I think it’s a marriage blessed by God when two people love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Whether it’s in church or at City Hall, are you saying ‘I do’?” It doesn’t matter,’ or in a private room, it’s a Christian marriage and God is blessing it. ”

The AIDS crisis of the 1980s made same-sex partnerships a more pressing issue, said Dothe Jacobsen of the Danish Gay and Lesbian Association. When her organization came forward to help authorities reach out to gay men, “that started people in Congress talking to us,” she said. “It means they start to understand what kind of life we’ve lived. And of course, when you talk to people, they get to know you. They… They find out you’re not a pervert. They find out you have a pervert. They live a life very similar to them. . ”

For Theodor Jorgensen, a professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark has taken an important step in setting an example. “Some societies have to take the first step and take the risk. Gay people from all countries around the world have come to their governments and said, ‘Look what they did in Denmark. We should try to do the same thing.” Here we are, what’s the objection to that? ”

Nordic countries will lead the way in recognizing same-sex marriage. Norway, Sweden and Iceland all enacted similar laws in 1996, followed by Finland six years later. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to grant full civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. The UK held its first civil partnership ceremony in 2005. 2015the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a legal right throughout the United States. To date, 36 countries Countries where same-sex marriage is legal.

At the end of the 1989 documentary, Bakewell said: “Something has changed in relationships. It started with a few couples on a sunny Sunday in October here in Denmark, where marriage and partnership now live side by side. The world is watching. Yo.”

In 2012, Denmark went a step further and legalized same-sex marriage. To commemorate the occasion, Mr. Larsen and Mr. Carlsen held a marriage blessing at the church. Looking back on 2014, BBC World Service interviewLarsen said Denmark’s legalization of same-sex partnerships has had a significant effect on normalizing same-sex relationships. “In fact, sometimes I don’t think it’s worth discussing because it’s so commonplace,” he laughed.

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