07, Dec 2017 | CJP Team

Austria’s Constitutional Court has ruled that same-sex couples can get married starting 2019, Politico reported.  Since 2010, the option of a registered partnership has been available to same-sex couples. “The distinction between marriage and registered partnership cannot today be maintained without discriminating against same-sex couples,” the court wrote, contending that current constraints on marriage inherently discriminate against same-sex couples, because declaring their marital status immediately revealed the same-sex or heterosexual nature of the partnership. The court wrote, “People living in same-sex partnerships have to disclose their sexual orientation even in situations in which it is not, and must not be, relevant and … are highly likely to be discriminated against”. Registered partnerships will continue, and will be obtainable by both heterosexual and same-sex couples.