Same-sex marriage in Belgium Same-sex marriage in Belgium On 1 June 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands. "Statutory cohabitation", open to any two legally consenting cohabiting persons, is also possible since 1 January 2000. In 1995, a bill was introduced in Parliament to provide for a legal framework of "cohabitation agreements". It was mostly intended as a response to the lowering marriage rates, rather than giving rights to same-sex couples. In 1998, the bill was changed to "statutory cohabitation" (; ; ) and finally voted on. The Chamber of Representatives approved it by a
Cohabitation in the United States Partners Registry, granting them limited legal recognition and some rights similar to those of married couples. Two states, Mississippi and Michigan, have laws on their books against cohabitation by opposite-sex couples. Anti-cohabitation laws are often not enforced although until recently, cohabitants were regularly being charged with misdemeanors in Florida. On March 22, 2016, the Florida legislature voted to repeal the state's ban on cohabitation. The Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law on 6 April 2016. Many legal scholars believe that in light of in "Lawrence v. Texas", such laws making cohabitation illegal are unconstitutional (North Carolina Superior