Bermuda officially becomes the first country to abolish same-sex marriage

Bermuda has officially moved to abolish same-sex marriage less than a year after bringing in a law to legalise it.

Just six months after legalising same-sex marriage, Bermuda announced it would be rolling back the law and replacing it with an alternative.

A bill to introduce domestic partnerships was approved without amendment last year and replaces same-sex marriage with the partnerships.

It today was signed into law by the Governor of Bermuda, John Rankin.

Governor Rankin has not yet commented on the decision to sign the bill into law.

But Minister of Home Affairs Walton Brown has commented to say that the government there tried to find a compromise between same-sex marriage supporters and opponents.

But LGBT and human rights groups have already complained about the change to domestic partnerships.

“Governor Rankin and the Bermuda Parliament have shamefully made Bermuda the first national territory in the world to repeal marriage equality,” said Ty Cobb, director of the Human Rights Campaign.

“This decision strips loving same-sex couples of the right to marry and jeopardizes Bermuda’s international reputation and economy. Despite this deplorable action, the fight for marriage equality in Bermuda will continue until the day when every Bermudian is afforded the right to marry the person they love.”

He says the bill introduces domestic partnerships for same-sex couples which offers them “equivalent” rights to opposite=sex couples.

But Brwn also says this addressed concerns that Bermuda should be in compliance with European court rulings about equal treatment for same-sex couples

The bill to abolish same-sex marriage was last year approved with 24 votes for and 10 against in the Bermuda House.

The Domestic Partnership Act 2017 replaces same-sex marriage with domestic partnerships.