31 inspiring photos of same-sex weddings around the world

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• Same-sex marriage has been legal in some countries since the early 2000s.
• The Netherlands was the first country to legalize gay marriage in 2000. 
• Most recently, a couple married in Northern Ireland after a change in the law.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

While same-sex marriage is still relatively new across the US, there are some countries around the world where it's been recognized for years. 

The Netherlands, Canada, South Africa, and Spain started the movement in the early 2000s, with many countries following suit. Most recently, same-sex marriage became legal in Northern Ireland. 

Keep reading to take a look at how same-sex couples have been saying "I do" around the world.

In the year 2000, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.

Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo

The new law allowed same-sex couples to get married, get divorced, and adopt children. According to the Pew Research Center, just one sentence was changed in the country's marriage law, now stating, "A marriage can be contracted by two people of different or the same sex."

 

In January 2003, Belgium followed suit, legalizing marriage for same-sex couples.

Mark Renders/Getty Images

The Belgian government had already begun giving same-sex couples some legal rights in 1998, but gave them the same tax and inheritance rights as opposite-sex couples in the 2003 ruling, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2006, the Belgian government also enabled same-sex couples to adopt children. 

 

In 2005, Spain legalized gay marriage.

Sergio Perez/ Reuters

The Spanish parliament passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage and giving same-sex couples the right to adopt.

"Spain is talking about total equality," Kursad Kahramanoglu, then-co-secretary general of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, told The New York Times in 2005. "Lots of people 15 or 20 years ago would have thought it would be impossible for Catholic Spain to get to this moment."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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