12 Of The Most Adorable Tweets About Germany Voting For Same-Sex Marriage
On Friday, June 30, the Parliament of Germany voted to legalize same-sex marriage, the New York Times reports, and Twitter is not shy about voicing its feelings about it.
Gay marriage has endured a long battle in German politics. German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this week softened her longstanding resistance to the issue, paving the way for Friday's vote. In the end, Merkel herself voted against the bill, and in a statement following the vote, said she still believed in a traditional definition of marriage. Still, the bill passed by a large majority, 393 to 226.
Germany joins several other European neighbors in allowing gay marriage: The Netherlands, Sweden, France, Iceland, Ireland, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Luxembourg. Same-sex couples are allowed some rights with civil partnerships in countries including Italy. A bloc of eastern European countries -- among them Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland -- still have not legalized gay marriage.
While there has been concern over what the law might mean for trans people, it has been generally seen as a huge win for LGBTQ+ rights advocates in Germany and beyond.
While there are bumps in the road ahead for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, people took to social media to celebrate. Their reactions are on the heart-warming level of Googling images of puppies in baskets, puppies running in slow-motion, puppies licking each other, and basically any other images of puppies.
People are rejoicing from all corners of the world and hashtaging #LoveIsLove, #LoveWins, and #EheFurAlle.
Messages of support and celebration, from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, were also not in short supply.
Outside of politicians, several groups and organizations -- including the German Consulate in Los Angeles, California, the St. Pauli Football Club, and LGBTQ+ advocacy group ILGA-Europe -- also posted their support for the decision.
In a series of tweets in multiple languages, All Out, another LGBTQ+ advocacy group, posted its own celebratory message.
Friday's theme is clearly #LoveWins.
On the last day of Pride Month 2017, and almost exactly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision ruling gay marriage constitutional, Friday's vote was a big deal.
