German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage, allowing the bill to take effect this fall.
Lawmakers approved the bill June 30. The move became possible after Chancellor Angela Merkel—whose conservative party had not budged on the issue for some time—said she would allow its legislators to vote according to their conscience.
Germany has permitted same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001; however, those couples had not been granted full marital rights that included the possibility of jointly adopting children.