Croatia votes in referendum on whether to allow same sex marriage

Croatians are voting in a referendum on whether to allow gay marriages after Catholic Church-backed conservative groups have demanded that country's constitution define marriage as a union between man and a woman.[caption id="attachment_1260231" align="alignleft" width="380"] Image from IBNlive[/caption]The voters are faced with the question: "Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?"If a majority vote "yes" on Sunday, Croatia's constitution will be amended to de-facto ban gay marriages.The vote has divided European Union's newest member nation. Liberal groups have said the referendum question infringes on basic human rights. The church-backed groups have gathered over 700,000 signatures in support of the vote.The country of 4.4 million has taken steps to improve gay rights, but issues such as same-sex marriage remain highly sensitive in the staunchly Catholic nation.Associated Press