Bermuda has become the first territory to repeal same-sex marriage after it was made legal in a supreme court ruling last year.
The British island territory in the North Atlantic Ocean has approved a bill reversing the right of same-sex couples to marry, in a move critics are calling a rollback of civil rights.
The Domestic Partnership Act 2017 - which ends marriage equality and instead allows only domestic partnerships for same-sex couples - has since been approved by Bermuda's Governor John Rankin, ending weeks of speculation over whether he would sign the legislation.
The measure was approved by senators in December and also won support from a majority of Bermudans in a referendum.
According to local news website The Royal Gazette, Governor Rankin announced he gave assent “after careful consideration in line with my responsibilities under the Constitution”.
Domestic partnerships 'second-class status'
LGBTQ civil rights groups have argued domestic partnerships amount to a second-class status and say it's unprecedented for a jurisdiction to take away the legal right to marry after it has been approved.
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Human rights praise for same-sex marriage
Human Rights Campaign - which works to improve the lives of LGBTQ people worldwide - has condemned the move as "shameful."
"This decision strips loving same-sex couples of the right to marry and jeopardises Bermuda’s international reputation and economy," it said in a statement.
"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.”
Threat to tourism
The Bermuda Tourism Authority has penned a letter to lawmakers, warning of the threat the move could pose to the tourism industry. It said, "while it’s not possible to project the precise ramifications of a yes vote for Bermuda, we are confident the impact will be negative."
Same-sex marriage was approved by Bermuda's supreme court in May last year and was celebrated by the island's small gay community. But it angered many conservatives and sparked mass protests.
The Domestic Partnership Act 2017 was brought before MPs by the Minister of Home Affairs Walton Brown.
Following the announcement, Mr Brown issued a statement saying it gives same-sex couples "rights equivalent to those enjoyed by heterosexual married couples; rights that were not guaranteed before the passage of this Act."
Those rights, he goes on, include "the right to inherit in the case of no will, the right to a partner’s pension(s), access to property rights, the right to make medical decisions on behalf of one’s partner and the right to live and work in Bermuda as the domestic partner of a Bermudian."
Same-sex couples who have already married are able to hold on to their status.
