Quebec homosexuals have the right to marry

["F A B I O C C H I::" <eco_fabiocchi@tin.it>]

Friday, Mar. 19, 2004

Quebec ruling paves way for gay marriages
Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040319.wqueb0319/BNStor
y/National/

Quebec homosexuals have the right to marry, the province's top court said
Friday.

The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a lower-court ruling that the traditional
definition of marriage is discriminatory and unjustified.

Same-sex marriages have been declared legal in Ontario and British Columbia.

The Supreme Court has been asked to clarify the constitutionality of gay
marriage and Prime Minister Paul Martin has promised to introduce a bill to
legalize it.

The Quebec court case pitted some religious groups against Michael Hendricks
and Rene Leboeuf, who want to marry after being together for 30 years.

The religious groups were appealing a September 2002 ruling by Justice
Louise Lemelin of Quebec Superior Court that said restricting marriage to a
union between a man and a woman was unjustified under the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms.