Same-sex marriage 2010 upon promulgation by the Argentine President. Argentina thus became the first country in Latin America, the second in the Americas, and the tenth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Australia became the second nation in Oceania to legalise same-sex marriage when the Australian Parliament passed a bill on 7 December 2017. The bill received royal assent on 8 December, and took effect on 9 December 2017. The law removed the ban on same-sex marriage which previously existed and followed a voluntary postal survey held from 12 September to 7 November 2017, which returned a 61.6% "Yes" vote for
Same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland by Baron Hayward, and passed its first reading that day. On 1 November 2018, royal assent was granted to the "Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018", which contains sections describing Northern Ireland's same-sex marriage and abortion bans as human rights violations. The law does not legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, but directs the British Government to "issue guidance" to civil servants in Northern Ireland "in relation to the incompatibility of human rights with [the region's laws on the two issues]". The law passed 207-117 in the House of Commons. Two legal challenges to Northern Ireland's