Swiss government: Same-sex couples can marry starting July 1

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s executive body says same-sex couples will be able to get married in the rich Alpine nation starting on July 1 next year. In setting the date on Wednesday, the Federal Council made good on the resounding support Swiss voters expressed for same-sex marriage in a September referendum. The council also said that starting Jan. 1, Switzerland will recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who wed in in other countries instead of continuing to treat the unions as simple civil partnerships. Switzerland is one of the few remaining countries in Western Europe where gay and lesbian couples do not already have the right to wed.