Marriage - Same-sex Marriage

Same-sex Marriage

Various types of same-sex marriages have existed, ranging from informal, unsanctioned relationships to highly ritualized unions.

While it is a relatively new practice to grant same-sex couples the same form of legal marital recognition as commonly granted to mixed-sex couples, there is some history of recorded same-sex unions around the world. It is believed that same-sex unions were celebrated in Ancient Greece and Rome, some regions of China, such as Fujian, and at certain times in ancient European history. A law in the Theodosian Code (C. Th. 9.7.3) issued in 342 CE imposed severe penalties or death on same-sex marriage in ancient Rome but the exact intent of the law and its relation to social practice is unclear, as only a few examples of same-sex marriage in that culture exist.