Petition for residents of Great Britain regarding same-sex marriages

[kitty]

I didn't know where to put this, but...

Sign the petition for UK marriage equality

Gay rights campaigners have launched a petition to call for gay marriages and straight civil partnerships in the UK.

The Equal Love campaign, led by Peter Tatchell, has already filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights.

Currently the UK allows gay couples to have civil partnerships. But there is a growing push towards full equal rights for gay couples and campaigners say it is also unfair that straight couples cannot get civil partnerships.

Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk, Mr Tatchell said the petition will eventually be presented to prime minister David Cameron. Campaigners hope to collect at least 15,000 signatures.

Stressing that only UK residents can sign the petition, Mr Tatchell said: “There is no justification for having two mutually exclusive and discriminatory systems.

“The bans on same-sex civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships are a legal form of sexual apartheid – one law for gay couples and another law for heterosexual partners. Two wrongs don’t make a right. In a democratic society, we should all be equal before the law.”

The legal case submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in February involves four gay couples and four straight couples – each of whom attempted to register for a ceremony they are not entitled to.

The British government has 12 months in which to justify why the ban should remain.

Coalition ministers say they are committed to implementing a permissive amendment to the Equality Act to allow religious buildings to host civil partnerships.

A consultation on the move is taking place now and it is understood that the law could change by the end of the year.

Equality minister Lynne Featherstone said in February that a separate consultation will be held on opening up marriage and civil partnerships to everyone.

Speaking at a Stonewall event in March, home secretary and secretary of state for equalities Theresa May said: “There is also a desire to move towards equal civil marriage and partnerships and we will consult further on how legislation can develop, working with all those who have an interest in this area.”



If you want to sign,here you are.But remember:only the Great Britain's residents can do it (or someone who pretends to be British...  )

http://equallove.org.uk/petition/

[milomorris]

OK...what's the difference between civil marriages and civil partnerships?? I don't know much about the law in the UK.

[Kelda]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/17/gay-marriage-civil-partnerships

http://www.civilpartnershipinfo.co.uk/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4497348.stm

As far as I'm aware its basically just the religious conatations basically.

[kitty]

Yeah...I think it allows same-sex couples to get married in, say, a church, with the full ceremony and everything, hymns etc.

[milomorris]

1.

"Until now it has been banned for civil partnership ceremonies to include religious readings, music or symbols and forbidden for them to take place in religious venues, regardless of the views of the building's owners. In Scotland, which has its own legislation, some church parishes offer blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples."

I don't understand why the UK bans religion from the partnerships, but I would imagine that there are churches that are willing to consecrate same-sex unions according to the denominational traditions of each. That would mean that, like in the US, secular recognition and sacred recognition require 2 separate processes. So unless hetero couples only need one process to accomplish both secular and sacred recognition, there is no legal inequity.

2.

Additionally, a clergy can perform civil marriages, whereas only specified registrars can perform a civil partnership.

This creates an inequity in access, not the law.

3.

On a technical level there are differences. A partnership is formed when the second of the two parties signs the partnership papers. This is not necessarily a public ceremony or even an event that happens at the same time as the first signature.

This flexibility means that couples can essentially become partnered in private, if they wish. In contrast, a marriage happens when the partners exchange spoken words and also sign the register.

I would call the separate, or private signings an advantage. Of course, there's nothing stopping a partnered couple from making a public statement, but its not required.

Overall, I don't see any good reasons to make the change called for by the petition. The UK has created a system that offers legal parity for both homo and hetero couples. This is hairsplitting.


 

[Kelda]

1.

"Until now it has been banned for civil partnership ceremonies to include religious readings, music or symbols and forbidden for them to take place in religious venues, regardless of the views of the building's owners. In Scotland, which has its own legislation, some church parishes offer blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples."

I don't understand why the UK bans religion from the partnerships, but I would imagine that there are churches that are willing to consecrate same-sex unions according to the denominational traditions of each. That would mean that, like in the US, secular recognition and sacred recognition require 2 separate processes. So unless hetero couples only need one process to accomplish both secular and sacred recognition, there is no legal inequity.

2.

Additionally, a clergy can perform civil marriages, whereas only specified registrars can perform a civil partnership.

This creates an inequity in access, not the law.

3.

On a technical level there are differences. A partnership is formed when the second of the two parties signs the partnership papers. This is not necessarily a public ceremony or even an event that happens at the same time as the first signature.

This flexibility means that couples can essentially become partnered in private, if they wish. In contrast, a marriage happens when the partners exchange spoken words and also sign the register.

I would call the separate, or private signings an advantage. Of course, there's nothing stopping a partnered couple from making a public statement, but its not required.

Overall, I don't see any good reasons to make the change called for by the petition. The UK has created a system that offers legal parity for both homo and hetero couples. This is hairsplitting.

1) No we only need one service in the UK. In England, Ireland and Wales either a civil ceremony or a religious one. In the Scotland you can also have a humanist celebrant on top of those 2.

2) Yes, access. Again in Scotland Humanists can do civil partnerships.

3) Your opinion, but I can understand why some want to be married by a clergy and want to be called married legally. Although everyone basically calls it this. I'd say gay friends are married.