31.   The law stopped short of legalizing gay marriage, which remains an ultimate goal for many activists.

32.   The statements touched a nerve in the Netherlands, which last year became the first country to legalize gay marriages.

33.   The state had already legalized interracial marriages, and blacks had been hired for city jobs.

34.   Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill that would grant certain rights to gay couples, but no state has legalized homosexual marriage.

35.   Demonstrators in Switzerland urged that same-sex marriages be legalized.

36.   Denmark, Sweden and Norway have already legalized homosexual marriage, but none of these countries allow homosexual couples to adopt children from other countries or have artificial insemination.

37.   The government had originally proposed a policy which did not legalize homosexual marriage, but deputies on both the left and right demanded more.