National Acceptance Act of 2016
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| Other short titles |
Acceptance Act LGBT Rights Act |
|---|---|
| Long title | An act to legalize the practice same-sex marriage in the Kingdom of Superior |
| Enacted by | the 38th Parliament of Superior |
| Effective | June 26th, 2016 |
| Legislative history | |
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The National Acceptance Act of 2016 is an landmark Act of the Parliament of Superior that legalized same-sex marriages across the Kingdom of Superior. It was granted royal assent by King William II the same year it was proposed. The act legalized same-sex marriage in Superior and granted the same financial benefits opposite-sex couples had to same-sex couples. The act was proposed by Liberal Democratic President Jennifer Granholm, her first major piece of legislation for her term, and was co-sponsored by over fifty other members of the House of Delegates.
Prior to the National Acceptance Act, the legality of same-sex marriage was at the discretion of the states. From 1950 to 1992, same-sex marriage was criminalized by the Traditional Family Act, and same-sex relations in general was considered a taboo, both because of socially conservative religious thought and the unfounded association of same-sex relations with Landonism and the United Commonwealth made by numerous federal and local officials. The Traditional Family Act was struck down by the High Court of Superior after ruling in the landmark Harrison v. Wright case, allowing individual states to determine the legality of same-sex marriage. Minneapolis was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2000, followed by New Hanover in 2002 and Lansing in 2004. Public opinion regarding same-sex marriage and relations gradually shifted during the early 2000s, and by 2012 a majority of Superians supported the practice.
During the 2015 federal election cycle, then-Leader of the Opposition Jennifer Granholm pledged to have same-sex marriage legalized in her first term in office. On May 1, 2016, after nearly five months after assuming office, Granholm proposed the National Acceptance Act to the House of Delegates, and it was passed overwhelmingly by the governing Progressive Bloc and opposed by the United Conservative-led opposition.
Despite overwhelming support in the House of Delegates, the bill received stronger opposition in the High Council, where moderate members of the razor-thin governing majority had concerns regarding the constitutionality of the act, and its effect on the constitutional rights of the states. Through the personal lobbying of High Councilor Amari Campbell of Arrowhead, the National Acceptance Act was narrowly passed in the High Council without any changes to the original bill and nearly two months after being proposed in the upper chamber. After constitutional challenges to the act were dismissed by the High Court on June 23, the act was granted royal assent by William II on June 26, 2016, coming into effect on the same day.
The National Acceptance Act of 2016 is considered one of the most consequential acts of parliament in the history of Superior, with some arguing the passage of the act "re-established" Superian politics of the 2010s and 2020s. In her memoir Why it Works, Granholm considers the National Acceptance Act the greatest achievement of her presidency. Challenges to the National Acceptance Act, or to certain provisions within the act, have been frequently filed since the passage of the act, though there has yet to be a successful challenge.