Same-sex marriage in Norway

Norway was the first Scandinavian country, the fourth in Europe, and the sixth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada and South Africa.

[2] From 1993 to 2008, Norway allowed same-sex couples to enter into registered partnerships, which provided virtually all the protections, responsibilities and benefits of marriage.

Norway was the second country in the world to provide some form of recognition to same-sex couples, after Denmark which implemented a registered partnership law in 1989.

[a] Registered partnerships were granted virtually all the protections, responsibilities and benefits of marriage, including arrangements for the breakdown of the relationship.

However, the Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet announced a common, unified marriage act as part of its foundation document, the Declaration of Soria Moria.

The first same-sex couple to marry in Norway were Anfinn Bernaas and August Ringmann, who had been together for 25 years, at the Oslo Courthouse on 2 January 2009.

In 1781, Jens Andersson, assigned female at birth but identifying as male, and Anne Kristine Mortensdotter were married in a Lutheran church in Strømsø, Drammen.

[48][49][50] The church formally amended its marriage liturgy on 30 January 2017, replacing references to "bride and groom" with gender-neutral text.

[51] A same-sex couple, Kjell Frølich Benjaminsen and Erik Skjelnæs, were immediately married at the Eidskog Church in Matrand the moment the changes came into effect on 1 February 2017.

[57] Bishop of Oslo Bernt Ivar Eidsvig released a statement on 20 December that "the doctrine of marriage is maintained, but it opens the door for priests to provide pastoral care for gay people.

"[58] Five different polls conducted by Gallup Europe, Sentio, Synovate MMI, Norstat and YouGov in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013 concluded that 61%, 63%, 66%, 58%, 70% and 78%, respectively, of the Norwegian population supported a gender-neutral marriage law.

[63] A Pew Research Center poll, conducted between April and August 2017 and published in May 2018, showed that 72% of Norwegians supported same-sex marriage, 19% were opposed and 9% did not know or had refused to answer.