The new law went into effect on May 15, and it was unanimously approved. However, the news only recently surfaced because the government’s website was dealing with technical issues.
Kevin Lynch, deputy governor of Pitcairn, said British authorities suggested the change after England, Wales and Scotland legalized same-sex marriage last year.
One resident said that since the law has been passed, there have been no same-sex marriages. The resident continued to say that it is happening everywhere else in the world, so why not there?
The national director of Australian Marriage Equality, Rodney Croome, said that even though no gay couples reside on the island, there may be some who return to the island to get married.
Croome said he could imagine that some couples may find Pitcairn to be a romantic destination, and this includes Australians who cannot get married in their own country. He added that this shows that islanders value equality and inclusion. Croome also said that this effectively says that gay islanders belong on the island as much as anyone else.
