From: Hannele Lehtikuusi Subject: The Debate in the Parliament/ FINLAND Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 09:59:54 +0300 (EET DST) CONGRATULATIONS TO ISLAND! We have got the translation on Icelandic law in Swedish. I will forward it to these lists as soon as we get it typed. It is lacking the explanatory part - and I wonder if there is one. Law was passed in Island on the 4th of June. This information reached us just about 2 hours too late - after the Debate in Parliament of Finland. But for the fight itself these steps never come late in the sense that there is always an effect in larger scale. But to say something shortly about the Debate in the Finnish Parliament on the 5th of June on the Private Bill on same sex parnership law. Nearly 4 hours Debate was a trying experience but also encouraging. We were satisfied with the Debate generally. We were also lucky to get just couple of hours before the Debate the results of respected (also concerned as reliable) Poll (ie. Taloustutkimus). We were able to hand over the information to the MPs defending the Bill in the Debate. Quite in the begining the major argument was that most of the Finns object this kind of Bill. Till they were met with Poll resulting that nearly 70 % support for the same sex partnersip law. Polls result was: 44 % support GAY/LESBIAN MARRIAGE 67 % support same sex partnership law (as indicated in Private Bill) 33 % objects any kind of gay unions (whether marriage of parnership law) Next time we will try to raise attention in the Media when Islandic law gets into force by bringing a wedding cake to the Islandic Embassy. Hannele Lehtikuusi chairperson SETA Finland