The Supreme Court of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia legalized same-sex marriage Sept. 24 – following in the footsteps of courts in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Yukon Territory.

Eighty-two percent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is allowed.

As other judges did, Justice Heather Robertson declared the federal opposite-sex definition of marriage to be an unconstitutional violation of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

She redefined marriage in Nova Scotia as “the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others.”

Same-sex marriage is not allowed yet in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island or Saskatchewan. However, the federal government is expected to enact same-sex marriage legislation in coming months that will cover the whole nation.

Fifty-seven percent of Canadians support same-sex marriage and 38 percent oppose it, according to a July survey by Environics Research Group and the Center for Research and Information on Canada.

Full same-sex marriage also is allowed in Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Numerous jurisdictions in the U.S. and overseas have enacted domestic-partnership or civil-union laws that grant same-sex couples many, most or all of the rights and obligations of marriage.

Another member of Canada’s Parliament has said he’s gay, the Toronto newspaper Xtra! reported Sept. 16.

Mario Silva, 37, who represents a blue-collar area of Toronto, allowed himself to be outed in a Toronto Star profile, the report said.

“I didn’t have a problem [with the Star mentioning my sexual orientation],” Silva told Xtra! “I have a lot of respect for the writer. I also think that the article was very tastefully done.”

Silva’s riding, or district, has Ontario’s largest immigrant population and is home to the city’s Portuguese community.

Other openly gay or bisexual members of the Canadian Parliament include Scott Brison, Libby Davies, Réal Ménard and Bill Siksay. MP Svend Robinson resigned this year after stealing an expensive ring from a jewelry sale.

France has recognized a gay family for the first time, granting legal status to a lesbian couple and their three daughters who were born via artificial insemination, the Paris daily Le Monde reported Sept. 22.

A Paris judge allowed “Carla” and “Marie-Laure” to establish a legal link between each parent and the children and granted them joint parental authority.

Prior to the ruling, Carla had won the right to adopt the children, who were born to Marie-Laure.

The women have been together 15 years. The kids are ages 10, 7 and 5.

State prosecutors chose not to appeal the ruling.

An openly gay former member of Israel’s Knesset, Uzi Even, married his partner of 19 years, Amit Kamah, Sept. 17 in Toronto, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

Same-sex marriage is legal in the province of Ontario, and there is no residency requirement.

Now back in Israel, Even and Kamah plan to demand that the Interior Ministry recognize their marriage. They will file suit with the High Court of Justice if necessary, they said.

A spokesman for Interior Minister Avraham Poraz said Poraz would happily recognize the marriage.

Spain’s government will approve same-sex marriage legislation at an Oct. 1 cabinet meeting and send it to Parliament for a vote, local media reported Sept. 19.

A recent survey found that 70 percent of Spaniards support same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Belgium; the Netherlands; the U.S. state of Massachusetts; the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec; and in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Marriage-like partnership laws are on the books in the Australian state of Tasmania, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and the U.S. states of California, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and Vermont.

In his new autobiography, Paris’ gay mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, says homophobia is still a big problem in France.

“In some quarters to be homophobic is seen as a sign of poor taste,” Delanoë writes in Life, Passionately. But, “outside of certain circles homosexuality is still something to be endured. In small towns, and especially in the countryside, homos are condemned to secrecy.”

Delanoë also denounced President Jacques Chirac for allegedly abandoning a campaign promise to push for passage of a hate-crimes law.

“Associations still do not have the right to launch civil-action suits, as they can for racist or anti-Semitic crimes,” he said.

The Tourist Commission in Australia’s Northern Territory is reaching out to gay tourists with a new marketing plan.

It will include forums, a photo shoot, market research, contact with international gay media and advertising.

Darwin, the capital, and Alice Springs are considered to be desirable destinations for gay visitors, reports said.