4. Canada: July 20, 2005
Canada adopted a gender-neutral definition of marriage back in 2005. With no residency stipulation, many American same-sex couples flocked north of the border to officially wed.
5. South Africa: November 30, 2006
The first and only nation in Africa to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage is South Africa. Their post-apartheid Constitution banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
6. Norway: January 1, 2009
Scandinavian countries are known for being progressive on issues like these, so it’s no big surprise that Norway was an early adopter of civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. However, the laws changed to provide a gender-neutral definition of marriage and full equality for same-sex couples in 2009.
