Gay rights have been an issue for many years. Although there is much progress being made on the discrimination of gays, one issue still remains: marriage. Society has become more accepting of same sex marriages, however they are still illegal in Canada. This report will discuss the laws in various countries which affect same sex marriages, as well as personal opinions, status of laws, cases, and the first gay marriage in Canada.
             In Canada, there are two laws prohibiting same sex couples from obtaining a marriage license. These are the Ontario Marriage Act and The Federal Marriage Act. The Federal Marriage Act specifically restricts marriage to one man and one woman. In other words, gays can still get married, just not to each other.
             The Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that a person cannot be discriminated against because of their gender. This is very contradictory considering our laws on marriage. In addition, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled repeatedly that individuals in Canada cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation. Therefore, it is upheld that gays should not be discriminated against, but the laws do clearly discriminate by taking away certain rights that heterosexuals are entitled to. Another example of a possible law is Bill S-9. Bill S-9 is currently in its first reading. It states: "Marriage has the meaning declared in 1866 decision of Hyde v. Hyde in the Courts of Probate and Divorce in the United Kingdom, and as understood in sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867, being a voluntary union of one man and one woman as husband and wife to the exclusion of all others." (CITE) Similarly in the United States, Bill Clinton signed Defense of Marriage Act (1996).This act states that marriage is "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" (CITE) So far it seems as If our laws pertaining to same sex marriages are still outdated, and are
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