Sweden’s Parliament legalized gay marriage yesterday, becoming the fifth European country to do so, CNN reports. Registered partnerships were already permitted in the country, but the new law will allow same-sex couples to officially tie the knot starting May 1. The only party to oppose was the Christian Democrats, who had called for dumping the word “marriage” as a legal term altogether.
The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, and Spain also allow gay marriages. It will still be up to individual churches to decide if they want to wed gay couples.