Britain to legalise same-sex marriage

Britain to legalise same-sex marriage

According to news reports, the British Government will this week announce a consultation process on plans to legalise same-sex marriage.

Media had been expecting the Government to announce a timetable for ending a ban on civil partnership ceremonies being held in places of worship.

However on Sunday, The Times newspaper reported that Equality Minister, Lynne Featherstone, will announce a proposal to legalise same-sex marriage at the same time on Thursday.

The UK Home Office has not contradicted the Times report.

It is believed that under the same proposal, civil unions would be extended to heterosexual partnerships.

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national convenor Alex Greenwich welcomed the move, which he hoped would add weight to the case for marriage equality in Australia.

“This clearly shows that civil unions are not enough,” Greenwich said, “People in the UK have lived with civil unions over the past few years and have come to realise that they entrench people with a second class relationship status, and an us and them status in terms of relationships.”

Greenwich hoped a Conservative-led government legalising same-sex marriage in a country which shared such a past with Australia, and the same system of government and law, would be a powerful sign to both the Gillard Government and the federal Opposition.

“If a Conservative British government introduces marriage equality, and the Australian Labor Party rejects equality, it sends a clear message that Australia is falling behind its international peers,” he said.

“This should also send a clear message to the Coalition that marriage equality isn’t just a left wing concern but an issue that conservative politicians around the world also support.”

Greenwich cited Australia’s immigration links with Britain as another area which would press the issue.

“We currently have a lot of people from the UK moving to Australia but same-sex couples that have married in the UK will find that their marriages won’t be recognised anymore – that’s going to be a big headache.”

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4 responses to “Britain to legalise same-sex marriage”

  1. hello?! australia doesn’t recognise any overseas marriages…gay or not…it’s already a headache even for heterosexual marriages.

  2. A Minister for Equality!

    That would be a good start. Who would make a good Minister for this in Australia?

    All parties have good people, well almost all….