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Andorra lawmakers extend civil marriage equality to same-sex couples

Small European country’s family code revised

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Andorran Parliament (Photo by flashxyz1/Bigstock)

Lawmakers in Andorra on Thursday voted unanimously to extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Andorra is a small country known for its ski areas that is nestled between Spain and France in the Pyrenees.

Media reportsĀ indicateĀ the new Andorran family code that lawmakers approved eliminates the legal differences between married heterosexual couples and gays and lesbians who have entered into civil partnerships.Ā 

“Today we are voting on a law for everyone, which includes all of us,” said Carles EnseƱat, president of Andorra’s Democratic Parliamentary Group, before the vote. “[It is] a law of a modern country that ensures the free development of citizenship and bases its success on the most primordial organizational nucleus — the family — with all its diversity.”

Spain and France are among the European jurisdictions in which same-sex couples can legally marry.

The Slovenia Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled a law that limited marriage and adoption rights to heterosexual partners is unconstitutional. Switzerland’s marriage equality law took effect on July 1.

It is not immediately clear when Andorra’s new family code takes effect.

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Netherlands

Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade draws hundreds of thousands

Gay Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten among participants

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A scene from the 2026 Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key are on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10.

AMSTERDAM — Hundreds of thousands of people lined Amsterdam’s canals on Saturday for the city’s annual Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who is openly gay, is among those who participated in the parade that featured more than 80 boats. Participants held signs and posters that, among other things, read “proud to be intersex” and “lesbians love you and a free Palestine.”

The Washington Blade saw at least two attendees holding fans that read “fuck Trump.” One of the boats also compared President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “the kissing couple.”

(Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)

(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)

The parade took place a week after a terrorist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day left one person dead and more than two dozen others injured.

It passed the Homomonument, a memorial to gays and lesbians who have suffered persecution. The Homomonument has been transformed into a makeshift memorial to the victims of the July 25 terrorist attack in the German capital.

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The Canal Parade took place during World Pride, which will end in Amsterdam on Aug. 9.

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European Union

Poland’s top court rejects recognition of same-sex marriages from other EU countries

Ruling sets up potential clash with bloc

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(Bigstock photo)

Poland’s top court this week rejected the recognition of same-sex marriages legally performed in other EU countries.

The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg last November ruled in favor of a same-sex couple who challenged Poland’s refusal to recognize their German marriage. Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court in March reaffirmed the decision.

The couple, who lives in Poland, brought their case to Polish courts in 2019. The Supreme Administrative Court referred it to the EU Court of Justice.

The Polish government in May announced it will recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other EU countries. Polish President Karol Nawrocki on July 17 vetoed bills that would have extended rights to same-sex couples.

The Constitutional Tribunal ruling, which it issued on July 28, was unanimous and final. It also sets up a potential clash between it and the EU Court of Justice.

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Celebrity News

Madonna to perform at World Pride in Amsterdam

ā€˜Confessions II’ album released earlier this month to rave reviews

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Madonna will perform at the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam on Aug. 1, 2026. (Photo courtesy of MISTR)

Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10. They will be covering World Pride in Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM — Madonna on Saturday will perform at World Pride in Amsterdam.

She is scheduled to appear alongside Stuart Price, Honey Dijon, and other ā€œspecial guestsā€ at the World Pride Music Festival at AFAS Live concert hall. The Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade will take place earlier on Saturday.

MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, is organizing Madonna’s performance.

Madonna on July 2 released her new album, ā€œConfessions II,ā€ to rave reviews.

She appeared at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Madonna in June celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York’s Times Square.

ā€œEveryone here is a work of art,ā€ says the World Pride Music Festival performance poster, referring to a line from ā€œDanceteriaā€ on ā€œConfessions II.ā€

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