Gay marriage tops Socialist agenda in Spain

[Quetzal]

Gay marriage tops Socialist agenda
Other overhauls being pushed by new government include increasing the rights of women, immigrants

MADRID -- Javier Garcia is going to get married. It hasn't been easy, but not for the usual reasons of picking the right day or finding a venue. Garcia is gay, and in Spain, it is illegal for homosexuals to marry. But that will almost certainly change - possibly as soon as next month.

Surprisingly, for this historically conservative Catholic country, the change will be government-created. Since being swept into office after the March 11 train bombings, Spain's newly elected Socialist government is pushing through an ambitious social reform agenda that will put the country on par with the most liberal countries in Europe and, on many issues, well left of the United States.

The terror attack, widely interpreted here as a result of the previous government's support of the Bush administration's war on Iraq, gave the Socialists a broad mandate for change. The Socialists pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq almost immediately and now have moved Spanish foreign policy in line with most of the rest of Europe. But the most dramatic change is happening domestically, with the Socialists pushing through a new slate of laws designed to increase the rights of women, immigrants and homosexuals and to lessen the influence of the church in public life.

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Gay marriage tops Socialist agenda

[Stay Open]

1. Hooray for Spain

:toast:

As America moves into the dark ages, we will watch as other nations lead us. I salute them.

[FM Arouet666]

2. Ironic isn't it?

As the U.S. goes backward in time, the country which gave us the Spanish inquisition, is moving forward.