THE LEGISLATION OF GAY

MARRIAGE IN THE UK
MARRIAGE ACT 2013

A DEVOLVED ISSUE
England and Wales- Marriage (Same Sex Couple)
Act, passed July 17th 2013 (Royal Assent); first
marriages- March 29th 2014
Scotland- Marriage and Civil Partnership Act,
passed March 12th 2014; first marriages
expected in Autumn 2014
Northern Ireland- no intention of legislation

MARRIAGE ACT 2013

enables same sex couples to marry in civil
ceremonies;
ensures those religious organisations which wish to
do so can opt in to marry sex couples according to
their rites;
protects religious organisations and their
representatives from successful legal challenge if
they do not wish to marry same sex couples;
enables civil partners to convert their partnership
to a marriage, if they wish
enables individuals to change their legal gender
without having to end their marriage.

RELIGIOUS PROTECTIONS
A religious marriage ceremony of a same sex
couple will only be possible if:
the governing body of the religious organisation
has opted in by giving explicit consent to
marriages of same sex couples; and
the individual minister is willing to conduct the
marriage
if the ceremony takes place in a place of worship,
those premises have been registered for
marriages of same sex couples.

THE NATURE OF MARRIAGE

Terms husband
and wife kept
Broadening of the
civil understanding
of marriage
Teachers only to
teach the legal and
factual position

CIVIL PARTNERSHIP
Same rights and responsibilities of marriage
Some differences:
- Not solemnized by saying the perscribed forms,
but registered by signing legal document
- An entirely civil event (even if formed on religious
premises)
- Recorded in an electronic register
- Adultery is not considered a valid cause for
dissolution

CONSULTATION
Launched in March 2012

228, 000 responses

53% for same sex marriages, 46% against, 1%

unsure

SUPPORT/OPPOSITION
The Green Party of
England and Wales
The Liberal Democrats
The Labour Party
Plaid Cymru - the Party
of Wales
The Times
The Guardian
The Independent
OUT4Marriage, Equal
Marriage

The Democratic
Unionist Party
The British National
Party
The UK Independence
Party
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Mail
The Sunday Times
Coalition for Marriage

MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN SCOTLAND

Nick Henderson of
the LGBT Network
draws a petition to
change the
Marriage Act 1977
soon followed by
the NUS Scotland
petition
rejected- a nondevolved matter

CONSULTATION IN SCOTLAND
September 2011- December 2011

Religious context

Results Opposing majority (67 %)- problematic

statistics ( 19% of the responses came outside of
Scotland and 34% submitted by a pre-printed
postcard)

THE LEGISLATION
Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill introduced on
June 27th 2013 to the Parliament
Support from leaders of all parties (Liberal
Democrats, Greens, Labour, Conservative and the
First Minister Alex Salmond, SNP)
Royal Assent on March 12th 2014
First marriages to occur in Autumn 2014

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PpvuUPXGL0