Estonia's parliament has approved a law legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first former Soviet state to do so. The bill was passed after a prolonged standoff with opposition parties, particularly the ultra-nationalist EKRE party, which opposed the legislation as being contrary to traditional family values. The law is expected to be signed into force by President Alar Karis.
Western Europe has mostly embraced marriage equality since the turn of the century, with most countries having enacted the law. However, Eastern European countries have been slower to support LGBTQ rights, and Estonia's move is seen as a significant step towards equality in that region. Slovenia became the first eastern bloc country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2020, while other nations like Hungary and Russia have taken steps to restrict the rights of the LGBTQ community.
Despite the opposition, support for same-sex marriage has increased in Estonia over the last decade. According to a survey conducted by Turu-uuringute AS in April, 53% of those polled supported the measure, compared to just 34% in 2021. Estonia had already legalized same-sex civil unions in 2014, but conservative lawmakers later blocked further progress.
There was internal resistance to the legislation within Kaja Kallas's center-right Reform Party, which won parliamentary elections in March and had initially supported civil unions but not gay marriage. However, the party's new coalition partners, the liberal Estonia 200 and Social Democrats, insisted on full marriage rights as a condition for forming a government.
In related news, Latvia recently became the latest country in the region to make progress towards LGBTQ inclusion. The long-time foreign minister, Edgars Rinkevics, was elected as Latvia's president last month, becoming the first openly gay head of state in the European Union.