The National Assembly in France has just passed the French Government’s bill allowing same-sex marriage, and adoption by same-sex couples.The bill was passed by a vote of 331 in favour to 225 against. It was passed by the Senate two weeks ago, and will go to President Hollande for signature once it has been certified compliant with the French constitution.

This is the third equal marriage bill to be passed, in three different parts of the world, in as many weeks. The parliaments of Uruguay (two weeks ago) and New Zealand (last week) also passed bills.

During the same period there have also been developments in other places. In Ireland, the Constitutional Convention voted 79 to 19 to propose a constitutional amendment requiring equal marriage to be provided. The amendment would need to go to a national referendum.

Later today, the House of Representatives in the US state of Delaware will vote on an equal marriage bill, which, if approved, will then go to the state Senate. The Governor has already promised to sign the bill.

And the Senate of the US state of Nevada yesterday passed a resolution that starts the process of repealing the state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The resolution now goes to the House of Representatives, where it should pass easily. It then needs to be passed again by the legislature in 2015, and then put to a state-wide referendum in 2016.

Here in Scotland, the Scottish Government are currently considering the responses to the draft Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill consultation which closed last month. The Equality Network expect that the bill will be introduced in the Scottish Parliament in the summer.