Norway has had registered partnerships for gay couples since 1993. This is thanks largely to the work of the “Forbundet av 1948″ (a gay rights interest organisation, started in Denmark in 1948 and shortly after introduced in Norway as their first gay interest organisation, now the LLH); tireless campaiging of numerous activists, notably Kim Friele (a gay rights activist and author, leader and general secretary of the aforementioned organisation for 22 years in total, she was also the first out homosexual in public life in Norway).

Registered partnership was exclusively for gay couples, a civil ceremony and legal union rather than simply adding names on a list. It embodies all the same rights as straight couples, with the exception of adoption rights. The only other difference between straight marriage and gay marriage was that the latter could not be held in a church.

This has now been changed after the gender neutral marriage law was proposed in parliament, on the day of our wedding, and since accepted. It shall come into effect in full force later on in the year. In order to effect this change and promote equal rights, Norway has changed its constitution.

Incidentally I just sat the advanced Norwegian language exam for international academics (I’m British) at the university of Oslo and one of the three essay questions was a discussion of the adoption of the gender neutral marriage law and its ramifications for homosexuals. Glad to see it there. A prominent banner campaign also berates homophobic attacks and is clearly posted on most trams and tubes here. Yet more validation as to why I chose Scandinavia to live in and left old Britain in the dark ages.