Sólveig Lára Guðmundsdóttir, a minister in the Evangelican Lutheran Church of Iceland, told RÚV that not only is she happy about the new law on marriage that parliament passed, but many others in the clergy are as well.
As reported, the new law takes the existing law on marriage and changes the language – for example, from “a man and a woman” to “two individuals” – such that homosexual couples are granted all the same rights and privileges of marriage that straight couples get.
When the law was still a bill, and being reviewed in committee, numerous members of the national church cautioned strongly against passing such a law, some using the argument that marriage was created to encourage procreation.
Sólveig Lára, for her part, is delighted the law has been passed, telling reporters that she considers it “a given human right”.
“This is a great day for those of us who have fought for the rights of homosexuals within the church,” she said. “And it’s a matter of human rights that now marriage is regarded as a contract based on love, devotion and respect, and that it is not necessary to define it as being between a man and a woman.”
The new law takes effect 27 June.