Bermuda has become the first national territory in the world to roll back same-sex marriage.



The British overseas territory's governor signed legislation into law Wednesday night that replaces same-sex marriages with domestic partnerships.

Rights groups said the move was unprecedented on the world stage, and stripped same-sex couples of the right to marry, while politicians in Britain expressed profound disappointment, calling it a "backwards step" for human rights in Bermuda.

Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global, said: "Despite this deplorable action, the fight for marriage equality in Bermuda will continue until the day when every Bermudian is afforded the right to marry the person they love.”

The island's minister of home affairs said the law gave same-sex couples "equivalent" rights to heterosexual married couples.

