Same-sex marriage in Greenland


Same-sex marriage in Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has been legal since 1 April 2016. The territory had previously recognised registered partnerships from 1 July 1996 until 1 April 2016.

Registered partnerships

's registered partnership law had been in operation since 1 October 1989. A bill to expand its application to Greenland was approved by the Inatsisartut on 14 May 1993 and by the Danish Parliament on 28 March 1996 and was given royal assent on 26 April 1996. It took effect on 1 July 1996. The law gave registered partners nearly identical rights to married couples, with these notable exceptions:
In 2002, the first same-sex couple registered under the law. Registered partnerships are called nalunaarsukkamik inooqatigiinneq in Greenlandic and registreret partnerskab in Danish.
The law was repealed on 1 April 2016.

Same-sex marriage

A resolution, expressing Greenland's wish to opt in the current version of Denmark's marriage law, had its first reading in the Parliament of Greenland on 25 March 2015, and was approved unanimously on second and final reading on 26 May 2015.
Approval by the Danish Parliament was required before the law could go into effect, however. A bill to this effect was submitted to the Folketing on 28 January 2015 and had its first reading on 26 May 2015. It was planned to come into effect on 1 October 2015. However, it lapsed due to the 2015 parliamentary elections. A nearly identical bill with only minor formal changes was submitted to Parliament on 29 October 2015 and had its first reading on 5 November 2015. The second reading happened on 14 January 2016 and the bill was approved in its final reading on 19 January 2016. The bill was given royal assent on 3 February, taking effect on 1 April 2016, which was the day the first same-sex couple in Greenland were married. The couple were married at the Hans Egede Church.
Article 1 of the Marriage Act now reads as follows:
Political affiliationVoted forAbsent *
Siumut^
Inuit Ataqatigiit
Demokraatit^-
Partii Naleraq-
Atassut^-
Total4*