Bermuda to ban same-sex marriage... seven months after legalising it

Bermuda is set to ban same-sex marriage just seven months after it was legalised on the British island territory.

The Senate approved the Domestic Partnership Act by an 8-3 vote on Wednesday after the House of Assembly had approved it 24-10 on Friday.

Under the new legislation, same-sex couples will only be allowed domestic partnerships.

A Supreme Court ruling in May had made same-sex marriages legal in Bermuda amid opposition on the socially conservative island.

Opponents of the new legislation said it would be unprecedented to strip the right to same-sex marriage after it had been granted in a jurisdiction and that global reaction could hurt the tourism industry.

They said it would be discriminatory because same-sex couples would have only the option of domestic partnerships while opposite-sex couples could choose between marriage or a domestic partnership.

"This bill in its simplest forms strips away rights from human beings," opposition senator Nandi Outerbridge said before the vote.

Ruling party senator Crystal Casesar defended the bill, saying it would codify the rights of domestic partners, something the Supreme Court did not do in its ruling, and that it acknowledged the reality of public opinion on the island.

"Society largely does not support same-sex marriage nor is it prepared to accept it at this time," she said.