Homosexual "rights" in Canada are the most obvious in the Americas. Homosexual Canadians have all of the same rights as heterosexual citizens, a right granted under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Since 2005, Canada has offered special "rights" to homosexuals by giving civil "marriage rights" nationwide to same-sex couples. Canada was the third nation in the world where same-sex "marriages" were legally performed (commencing in 2003 in the province of Ontario), the fourth nation in the world to perform homosexual "marriages" nationwide, and it was the first nation in the Americas to perform such "marriages" nationwide.[1]
Canada has had a historically more progressive culture than any of its neighbors, an inheritance from the English Revolution. During the 1960s with the ongoing radicalization of society by the Left, it became "cool" to promote the rights of real or perceived minorities, including the homosexual lobby. The homosexual lobby won several victories, such as the decision in 1989 that "Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability." includes homosexuals.
Homosexual "rights" in Canada remains a source of national "pride" in the eastern seaboard, where four-fifths of Canadians are claimed to actively support it. In the relatively conservative province of Alberta, the victories by the homosexual lobby was condemned, as Albertans saw it as a threat to their religious freedom and way of life.[1] Outside of Canada, reactions have been mixed. More progressive nations and states applauded it, while others condemned it, and predicted the moral failure of Canadian society.