On June 30, 2005 (May 24, 2005 in the lunar calendar), the Spanish Prime Minister delivered a speech on legalizing same-sex marriage. On the day the same-sex marriage law was passed, people listening in the Spanish Parliament applauded the passage and implementation of the same-sex marriage law. This refers to Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, becoming the third country in the world to nationally recognize same-sex marriage. In 2004, the new Socialist government, led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, began promoting a bill on same-sex marriage, which would include the right of gay couples to adopt children. The Spanish Parliament (Spain has a bicameral system: Senate and House of Representatives) passed a decree allowing same-sex marriage on June 30, 2005 after a long debate, and promulgated the results on July 2, 2005. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Spain on Sunday, July 3, 2005. Although 66 per cent of the population supported the decree, it remained controversial in society. Roman Catholic authorities, in particular, have been adamant against legalizing same-sex marriage, publishing criticism that the law diminishes the meaning of marriage. Other groups expressed concern about allowing homosexuals to adopt children. Thousands of people demonstrated across Spain: both for and against the law. After the same-sex marriage bill was approved, the conservative People's Party submitted the law to the Constitutional Court. Within a year after the same-sex marriage law was passed, approximately 4,500 same-sex couples married in Spain. Shortly after the law on same-sex marriage was passed, the legal status of some same-sex marriages that affected non-Hispanic people was questioned because some foreigners 'places of origin did not allow same-sex marriage. The Justice Ministry ruled that as long as one of the same-sex couples is a Spanish citizen, they can register marriage in Spain regardless of whether the other person's home country allows same-sex marriage. In addition, if same-sex couples both have legal residency in Spain, they can also marry in Spain. Comments: Foreigners are too open-minded, and China probably doesn't even have discussions.