Marriage Amendment of 1900

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Marriage Amendment of 1900
Long title An Amendment to Legalize and Allow Same-Sex Marriages in the Kryfona Kingdom
Acronyms none
Enacted by 29th Kryfonsparliszaye, on 15 April, 1900
Effective 16 April, 1900; objections until 1908 by Tuszke and 1905 by Yaraa
Voting history
First vote Passed 62–19 (4/6/00)
Second vote Ratified 75–0–6 (4/15/00)
Legislative history
Proposed on 27 December, 1899
  • First draft: 22 January, 1900
  • Second draft: 15 February, 1900
  • Final draft: 8 March, 1900
  • Proposed as law: 13 March, 1900
  • Vote, passed: 6 April, 1900
  • Approved by High Court: 13 April, 1900
  • Vote, ratified: 15 April, 1900
Major amendments
General Rights Act, 1903
  • Gay and Bisexual Protection Act of 1906
  • Gay and Bisexual Equality Act of 1921
  • Child Adoption Act of 1932
  • Protection Amendments of 1952-53
  • Gender Change Act of 1982
  • Hate and Discrimination Based Crimes Act of 1983
  • Nazsem Act of 1992

An Amendment to Legalize and Allow Same-Sex Marriages in the Kryfona Kingdom, better known as the Marriage Amendment of 1900 or just the Marriage Amendment, is an amendment to the Kryfona Constitution which was passed by the Kryfonsparliszaiye on 15 April, 1900 and ratified by the King on 16 April, 1900, thereby becoming a part of federal law. The Marriage Amendment of 1900, although blandly named, de jure legalized same-sex marriages in the entire Kryfona Kingdom, making the nation the first in both the Old World and the New World to legalize it. Officially, the Amendment applied to all provinces, but the autonomous provinces of Reriskzeiy and Yaraa objected and did not recognize the amendment on sovereignty grounds. They nevertheless accepted the conditions of the Amendment, and eventually pledged their support of its contents on 8 May, 1908, and 17 March, 1905 respectively.

The Marriage Amendment of 1900 was, in truth, being discussed long before it was ever submitted to the Kryfonsparliszaiye and ratified. As early as 1895, there were discussions among the ranks of the Kryfonsparliszaiye's back-benchers that such an amendment might be a worthwhile effort. Efforts to write such an amendment in earnest began among a number of members of the Kryfona Loyalist Party, most prominently those from the Eastern Kingdom. In particular, Tagysa Rean and Ilin Tävie–two loyalist MPs from Upper and Middle Reriskzeiy–spearheaded an effort to write an amendment that would wholly legalize same-sex marriages in the Kingdom. This effort, which began in 1897, was quickly combined with an effort by Tzalya Vadzyxse–a royalist based out of Szaras–to write a bipartisan law that would be able to meet the supermajority requirement of passing an amendment in the Kryfonsparliszaiye.

The Rean–Tävie–Vadzyxse proposal was completed in early 1899, but ran into difficulties with the more conservative members of the Kryfona Royalist Party, who were based out of Azsaeh, Peiretsaja, and parts of the Middle West (which at the time was a mildly royalist region). Subsequently, efforts to introduce the proposal were delayed, and the three entered into negotiations with this conservative caucus. Negotiations between the two sides began in early January, but had fallen apart by mid-February once it became clear that the proposal would not be capable of winning the conservative members over. Thereafter, the proposal targeted a number of the more liberal Royalists, namely the ones that represented large cities and the Southwest, which even then was more liberal than the rest of the country.

Although the objections of the conservative wing of the Royalists were significant, the proposal found significant ground with the moderates and liberals in the Royalist caucus. Talks between the axis of Rean–Tävie–Vadzyxse and the Royalists, who would be required to vote with the bill for the most part, began in April and ran through most of the spring and almost half of the summer. Delayed significantly by the agenda of the Royalists, and then further by the domestic issues of Yeqsrin Worissilo, a first, rough draft of the Rean–Tävie–Vadzyxse proposal was finally hammered out in August of 1899; however, further delays were incurred by the negotiation processes surrounding the incorporation of Vyfarla. Eventually, the proposal resurfaced in December of 1899, and was introduced by Tävie on 27 December, 1899.

Although negotiations had taken up much of the previous year, navigating the drafting committees remained slow and arduous for the proposal, which took nearly a full month to progress out of the first draft stage. An additional month and a half was spent on the bill's second and final drafts, by which point the proposal had spent over a year being debated. Finally, however, on 13 March, 1900, the Rean–Tävie–Vadzyxse proposal was proposed to the Kryfonsparliszaiye floor. The Vyfarla crisis necessitated unusual scheduling, however, and the vote was not taken until 6 April. Unsurprisingly, the bill passed with flying colors by a vote of 62–19 and, after being declared constitutional, was ratified nine days later by a vote of 75–0–6. One day later, it was approved by the king, and same-sex marriages officially became legal in the Kryfona Kingdom.

Passing of the Amendment

The Marriage Amendment was submitted to the Kryfonsparliszaiye floor for voting after close to half a year of internal negotiations and drafting on 13 March, 1900. The process of negotiating the amendment had been long and arduous, and the negotiations by the end of it had become tangled with unrelated negotiations over the Vyfarla Ascension Act, but in the words of Tävie, it was "well worth the effort and trouble." Scheduling for the amendment's vote remained an issue, however, given the Vyfarla crisis; a proposal of a March vote was essentially shut down when it became clear that negotiations over the Vyfarla Ascension Act were going to take up most of the Kryfonsparliszaiye's time. Hesitantly, a deal was brokered by party leaders Ulizs Ganzyszmi and Tozkim Lamar for the amendment to come up for vote on 3 April, with a week's worth of wiggle room depending on how negotiations over Vyfarla went. Both these negotiations and the Vyfarlan negotiations along with a re-submission of the Vyfarla Ascension Act on 25 March, 1900 promptly forced an April vote to take place; the vote's date was finalized for 6 April, 1900 on the last day of March.

Efforts to block and delay the amendment from being considered on the grounds that it could be proven unconstitutional before the vote were taken up throughout most of March by the far-right members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye. A measure to suspend consideration of the amendment on constitutionality grounds was brought to the floor on 29 March by MP Hozsko Janozs (KRP-Azsaeh City)–it was quickly defeated by a vote of 11-60-10. A similar effort to derail the amendment was initiated outside of the Kryfonsparliszaiye by groups against the amendment. Lobbying efforts by proto-Impurist and anti-homosexual groups were noted in several provinces, most prominently Lawvsgara and Szaras; however, these lobbying efforts were by and large insignificant compared to the support that was expressed for the amendment by the general population and in particular LGB groups such as the Sargozina and Isene societies.

The last significant effort prior to the vote being taken to sway the decision in either way was a letter writing campaign by the Sargozina and Isene societies, calling for their members and supporters to lobby for all members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye to support the amendment. The campaign began on 22 March, and ran through the day before the vote–nearly twenty-five thousand letters were sent to members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye during the period in support of the amendment. It was one of the largest spontaneous writing campaigns in the Kingdom at the time, and has often been cited as an example of the power of such campaigns.

Roll call vote

The Kryfonsparliszaiye convened at 9 A.M. on 6 April, 1900 to give speeches on the amendment and then vote; it was anticipated that the matter would take up the entire day, and subsequently there were no other votes scheduled for that day. Among the most fervent voices against the amendment was Marjesz Jystel (KRP-Azsaeh South), who decried the "radical bastions of undesirables who ... push for this bill in the hopes of promoting and spreading their undesirability to others and making it acceptable..." and spoke of "unquestionably despicable values" being the main cause of the vote. In a similar vein, Razyx Qailazs (KRP-Upper West Yaravneid) called the vote "utterly shameful" and "an effort to divide this great country against itself by instilling and allowing un-Kryfonic values to proliferate." On the other end of the spectrum, Ulizs Ganzyszmi (KRP-Azsaeh North) called the vote "a turning point in our country and in our values for the better." Ganzyszmi was joined in this by Toszkim Lamar (KLP-Kghelias West) who heralded the vote as a potential to show that "[the Kryfona Kingdom] as a country is a country of true equals, not just one on paper."

Speeches lasted for a total of five hours, and the actual voting process began at just past 1 P.M. Nylzsryf time. All 81 MPs were present for voting.

Ayes (62)

There were 62 aye votes for the amendment; all 42 Loyalists and 20 Royalists including Royalist party leader Ulizs Ganzyszmi. Most Royalist supporters of the amendment were based in the cities (where there was an eager Loyalist vote that would have been energized otherwise in 1903), but more liberal delegations such as the Royalist delegation to Seuyastazal and part of their delegation to Szaras were also on-board with the amendment from the start.

  • Anjak Beteres Abele [KLP]
  • Ganimzse Adynz [KLP]
  • Jit Vayek Angyxin [KLP]
  • Nazen Apje [KRP]
  • Welen Astaja [KRP]
  • Rasyazcszo Banak [KLP]
  • Yazni Awaseq Birja [KLP]
  • Enysa Cazsywo [KLP]
  • Ansarik Cizek [KLP]
  • Rins Dagysava [KLP]
  • Hazinsz Danaan [KLP]
  • Vistiela Dauzsak [KRP]
  • Kerje Eitrazs [KRP]
  • Joszin Farely [KLP]
  • Tazaws Faronaj [KRP]
  • Oszjen Felstej [KLP]
  • Bezsamen Fyal [KRP]
  • Ulizs Ganzyszmi [KRP]
  • Ezyok Garamezak [KLP]
  • Isten Garos [KLP]
  • Yanazsto Hajs [KRP]
  • Jeziwa Hanayek [KLP]
  • Ledy Pazow Hozsem [KLP]
  • Zagrzseyek Iazam [KLP]
  • Ajayan Ilyin [KLP]
  • Vayan Ilyiz [KRP]
  • Ceyozon Insamena [KRP]
  • Kejs Namjozs Iyarzin [KLP]
  • Ate Jazsem [KLP]
  • Ulana Jezsya [KLP]
  • Daarzek Antoza Kyszx [KLP]
  • Rizy Kyzezs [KLP]
  • Anat Kyszx Ladyo [KLP]
  • Toszkim Lamar [KLP]
  • Sazse Miko [KLP]
  • Tanazsak Malga [KLP]
  • Gozsek Namri [KRP]
  • Nasje Alku Narzas [KRP]
  • Gedye Noriek [KLP]
  • Yazse Birz Nystej [KLP]
  • Azsejs Oczem [KLP]
  • Rizsye Okensgan [KRP]
  • Felesz Tavezsek Ogeny [KLP]
  • Dit Pazszecyna [KLP]
  • Berjezs Pelk [KLP]
  • Jezsyek Ralan [KRP]
  • Tagysa Rean [KLP]
  • Ozyem Sikel [KRP]
  • Jezsem Stova [KLP]
  • Nazrye Kelem Svariyantina [KLP]
  • Tamanjes Targozak [KLP]
  • Ilin Tävie [KLP]
  • Mizsarien Tezas [KRP]
  • Yalyen Tyxefone [KLP]
  • Galazso Uara [KRP]
  • Narya Uzsjin [KRP]
  • Tzalya Vadzyxse [KRP]
  • Vistila Vieme [KLP]
  • Xadiszem Yozseven [KLP]
  • Cezsyek Ysen [KLP]
  • Ferem Ajen Zadsat [KLP]
  • Hyanzsal Zagro [KRP]

Nays (19)

All 19 nay voters were Royalists; the nay caucus had no leader since it was unsupported by Ganzyszmi and no Loyalists were a part of it, but in spirit the group was headed by Marjesz Jystel and Hozsko Janosz, two of the most conservative MPs in the entire Kingdom and both members of the Azsaeh delegation. Most of the nay voters were hard-right conservatives who made up the Royalist's far-right wing; some, like Nazje Hagin Lamariz were not, however.

  • Terysem Agandes [KRP, MP-Tauba City]
  • Hiahl Vezyn Cerk [KRP, MP-Szaras North]
  • Czesztonek Ejys [KRP, MP-Tauba North]
  • Onzak Gaban [KRP, MP-West Peiretsaja]
  • Miszem Kezsil [KRP, MP-Aryela]
  • Nazje Hagin Lamariz [KRP, MP-Szaras City]
  • Zadiye Lozsark [KRP, MP-Reasz]
  • Hozsko Janozs [KRP, MP-Azsaeh City]
  • Marjesz Jystel [KRP, MP-Azsaeh South]
  • Tagrise Nejsyiw [KRP, MP-Fyranasaa South]
  • Istala Odezan [KRP, MP-East Taharlsqov]
  • Antak Parzsajk [KRP, MP-Upper East Yaravneid]
  • Razyx Qailazs [KRP, MP-Upper West Yaravneid]
  • Tusze Rilsken [KRP, MP-West Taharlsqov]
  • Jegysen Talgo [KRP, MP-Lower West Yaravneid]
  • Arjens Virkozs [KRP, MP-Upper Peiretsaja]
  • Onsal Waszjen [KRP, MP-Lower East Yaravneid]
  • Duvasz Yztelye [KRP, MP-Lower Peiretsaja]
  • Vezsni Zyemet [KRP, MP-Galasila]