In July of 2005, Spain became the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage, following the Netherlands and Belgium. The law, which was passed by the Spanish parliament and signed into law by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, also allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
In 1979 Adolfo Suárez Government reversed the previous prohibitions on same sex activity. The 1970 Law on Danger and Social Rehabilitation remained active until 1995 but was unenforced after Spain adopted democracy.