Austria Votes Against Same-Sex Marriage

Photo via WikiCommons/Manfred Werner

Days before Vienna Pride, the Austrian Parliament voted against a bill calling for the extension of the "the human right of equal marriage" to same-sex couples.

Of the 136 representatives in the Assembly, only 26 voted in favor of the marriage equality bill, while 110 voted against it. The Green Party, who proposed the bill, was the only party to fully support the measure. Even the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the SPÖ, who originally called for equality, voted against it. 

SPÖ representative Andreas Schieder said:

"The SPÖ's deepest conviction are equal marriage rights for homosexual people."

He then went on to add:

"We demand full equality. Right now, such a resolution—even supported by SPÖ—wouldn't get a majority, which is why we wull continue to work on convincing conservative forces that these are life realities and discrimination cannot have a place."

The surprising outcome comes just weeks after Ireland and Greenland approved same-sex marriage. Austrian LGBT blog thinkoutsideyourbox.net accused the SPÖ of "betraying the LGBT," and demanded that they be banned from the upcoming Pride Parade. 

(H/T Gay Star News)