A parliamentary committee in Finland has rejected a proposed marriage equality bill there, Pink News reports:
The bill, proposed by the National Coalition Party (NCP) minister Alexander Stubb proposed the bill, which would have made marriage gender-neutral, therefore allowing same-sex couples to marry.
It was rejected 9 votes to 8, and so it will not go before the full legislature for consideration.
The bill would have made regulations relating to marriage equal for all, irrespective of the gender of the partners. In Finland, gay and lesbian couples can currently register their partnerships, but do not automatically take each others' surnames, or adopt children, reports YLE.
Finland is the only Scandinavian country without marriage equality.
A citizen initiative to legalize same-sex marriage has now begun gathering signatures.
