BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland on Saturday for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country.
The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage, which has already been introduced in many other European countries including Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands.
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Public broadcaster SRF reported that tens of thousands participated in the Zurich Pride parade which had the slogan “You can do it. Marriage for everyone now.”
So far, same-sex couples in Switzerland can only get official approval for civil unions, which are not on equal footing as marriages. If a majority votes for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Switzerland this would also allow couple to adopt children. In addition, lesbian couples would have easier access to sperm donations if they wanted to start a family and it would be easier for foreign partners to get Swiss citizenship.
Opponents of the legalization say that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman together only and that children should have the right to have both a traditional father and a mother.
SRF reported that 70 groups from the LGBTQ community supported the protests.
