by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
A Berlin court ruled June 15 that same-sex couples who marry in nations where it is legal are not married in Germany, but rather are registered partners.
Andreas Boettcher had sought recognition of his 2006 Canadian marriage to his Spanish husband. Prior to the ruling, Boettcher's identity documents labeled him "single," so the determination that he is, in fact, in a civil union was seen as a partial victory for gay rights.
Spain recognizes the two men as husbands.
Gay marriage is legal in Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
