Gay marriage could boost the mental and physical health of gay and lesbian people, suggests an analysis in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Denmark was the first country to introduce civil partnerships for same sex couples in 1989, since when several European Union countries, some US states, Australia and Canada have followed suit.
The authors point to evidence, which suggests that gay men and lesbians do not receive the same standard of health care as straight people.
They suggest that civil partnerships are likely to break down some of this prejudice and promote greater understanding, including among staff working in the health service.
Despite the high divorce rates, there is a considerable wealth of evidence to suggest that married couples have better mental and physical health and tend to live longer than single people.
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