At present, only the Netherlands and Belgium have opened up ordinary marriage to same-sex couples. Six other EU nations have domestic-partnership laws that grant many, most or all rights of marriage to registered same-sex couples.

Support was drastically lower in 13 nations that are set to join the EU. Only 23 percent of people in those countries, many of which used to be communist, favor allowing gay couples to marry.

Pollsters also inquired about adoption. Forty-two percent of EU residents and 17 percent of residents of the accession nations support permitting gay couples to adopt children.

The poll found the highest levels of gay support among women, younger people, highly educated people, atheists, leftists and residents of nations that already extend some or all spousal rights to same-sex couples.

Denmark expressed the highest support for same-sex marriage (82%) followed by the Netherlands (80%), Luxembourg (71%), Sweden (70%), Spain (68%), Belgium (67%), Norway (66%), Switzerland (65%), Germany (65%), France (58%), Finland (56%), the Czech Republic (50%), Austria (48%), the United Kingdom (47%), Italy (47%), Ireland (46%), Portugal (43%), Slovenia (40%), Hungary (37%), Estonia (35%), Slovakia (30%), Lithuania (26%), Malta (23%), Bulgaria (20%), Latvia (19%), Poland (19%), Romania (17%), Greece (16%), Turkey (16%) and Cyprus (9%).

On the adoption question, the Netherlands came in first (64%) followed by Germany (57%), Spain (57%), Denmark (54%), Luxembourg (49%), Belgium (47%), Switzerland (47%), Sweden (42%), France (39%), Norway (37%), the United Kingdom (35%), the Czech Republic (35%), Ireland (34%), Hungary (34%), Austria (33%), Finland (30%), Slovenia (30%), Estonia (27%), Italy (25%), Portugal (25%), Slovakia (17%), Turkey (16%), Bulgaria (14%), Lithuania (13%), Latvia (11%), Greece (11%), Romania (11%), Malta (10%), Poland (10%) and Cyprus (6%).

Norway and Switzerland, while located in Europe, are not part of the European Union.

The report did not explain what laws or regulations the articles allegedly violated.

"What we want to evaluate is how far the principles of the publishers are contradictory to the set regulations," Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin said.

The investiture occurred at Government House in Hobart.

The Order, which is bestowed by the Queen, is the nation's highest honor. It recognizes outstanding achievement in important fields of endeavor and outstanding contributions to the nation and humanity.

"Really what these awards recognize are the tens of thousands of people in Tasmania, across Australia, and around the world who contributed to the success of the nine-year campaign for gay law reform [in Tasmania]," said Toonen.

"These awards recognize our defiance in the face of bigotry and oppression," said Hale. "I'd like to encourage everyone to do what we did: break unjust laws, take direct action and build their communities."

Croome commented: "Who could have imagined that when we were arrested for setting up a stall in Salamanca Market in 1988 we would be honored like this 15 years later?"

One hundred thirty arrests took place at the outdoor Saturday morning market from October to December 1988 as members of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group defied a police and City Council ban on their booth and collected signatures on a petition calling for repeal of the state's law against gay sex. The council finally relented (in a 6-3 vote), renounced its previous actions and paid the activists' legal fees.

Gay sex was finally decriminalized in 1997.

Sydney resident Edward Young appealed to the U.N. in 1999 after officials withheld the pension when Young's partner of 38 years, Larry Cain, died of heart trouble. The Department of Veterans' Affairs said the pensions were available only to heterosexual couples.

The U.N. committee instructed the Australian government to reconsider Cain's pension without discriminating based on gender or sexual orientation -- and to amend federal law if necessary. The committee also said the nation must refrain from similar discriminatory actions in the future.

"[Australia] provides no arguments on how this distinction between same-sex partners, who are excluded from pension benefits under law, and unmarried heterosexual partners, who are granted such benefits, is reasonable and objective, and no evidence which would point to the existence of factors justifying such a distinction has been advanced," the committee said. "The State party [Australia] has violated article 26 of the [International] Covenant [on Civil and Political Rights] by denying the author [Young] a pension on the basis of his sex or sexual orientation."

"I did not apply for the pension for the sake of the money," Young said after the ruling. "It was a matter of principle, justice and equality before the law. The government was refusing to honor Larry's war service and was refusing to treat him the same as heterosexual veterans. The government seems to think it is OK for gay men and lesbians to fight and die for their country, but still wants to treat us like second-class citizens when it comes to recognizing our relationships."

Key Australian gay activist Rodney Croome called the ruling "the strongest statement ever made by the United Nations about equality for same-sex couples" and said it "will have ramifications around the world."

Australia has 90 days to inform the U.N. of its plans for ending the kind of discrimination Young suffered.