same-sex marriage

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What is the history of same-sex marriage?

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History & Society

same-sex marriage

Also known as: same-sex partnership, same-sex union

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 8, 2024 • Article History

same-sex marriage

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Category: History & Society

Related Topics:: marriage; homosexuality; lesbianism; male homosexuality

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Recent News

Mar. 8, 2024, 5:08 AM ET (AP)

A Greek novelist and a lawyer are the first same-sex couple to wed at Athens city hall

same-sex marriage, the practice of marriage between two men or between two women. Although same-sex marriage has been regulated through law, religion, and custom in most countries of the world, the legal and social responses have ranged from celebration on the one hand to criminalization on the other. Some scholars, most notably the Yale professor and historian John Boswell (1947–94), have argued that same-sex unions were recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe, although others have disputed this claim. Scholars and the general public became increasingly interested in the issue during the late 20th century, a period when ...(100 of 4312 words)

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