Gay Marriage Legal by 2014!
Gay marriage will be legal in Britain within 18 months after a final decision from the Tory party. However there is still much confusion and dispute over what this means for religious ceremonies. It has been stated that there will be a legal exemption for the Church of England to the point where it will be illegal to hold ceremonies in certain places.
By 2014, some British churches will be able to hold gay marriage ceremonies, a move that has caused fierce division within the Tory party. An incredible 500,000 people signed a petition blocking gay marriage, the majority of which are seemingly religious fanatics’ intent on practising ignorance. Some critics have even proposed that the move will cost the Tory party the next election, however in contrast to this it could potentially gain them support from certain pro-equal right groups.
The atmosphere in the Commons has been notably tense amidst discussions this week. Maria Miller, the Equalities Minister, had promised to fast-track plans to make gay marriage legal, saying that it was necessary to “keep the institution of marriage vibrant and relevant to society”. She went on to say that the legal ban against ceremonies being held in the Church of England or the Church of Wales was to ensure protection against lawsuits from gay rights campaigners.
For a fee of £100, the many tens of thousands of gay couples who chose to unite through a civil partnership will now be able to ‘upgrade’ their union to marriage. Also, if a person in a heterosexual marriage chooses to have a sex change then they will no longer be legally obliged to divorce.
The move is a huge step forward for gay people in Britain with many seeing the move as further recognition of their acceptance.
Source: The Metro
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good
And about time too! Although I have no particular interest in religious institutions, I’m impressed by the governments safe-guards to ensure that bigoted Churches have no obligation to be reasonable, so as far as I can tell, all objections to the bill are homophobic nonsense.
Woo Hoo! Great news!
As one of your ‘bigoted Christians’ I’m glad too for the exemptions. Equality legislation is about education, employment, access to healthcare etc not about belief or religious practice. I support a free society where we can hold different views. I’m glad homosexuals have freedom of choice, glad they have the same legal rights etc. Let’s ensure we all have the freedom to believe and practice what we believe, otherwise we might see Christians exchanging places with where the homosexual community has historically been.
I stand for personal liberty and freedom, where such doesn’t intrude on the rights of others.
I also regard homosexuality as an aberration.
So live, and let live, but please don’t ram it down my throat. What they get up to in private is their affair and I have no wish to either intrude or dictate. But in public I find ‘men’ poncing around in tutus or deep-throating each other offensive.
I have had homosexual friends, some of whom were extremely intelligent and witty—they knew what they were, I knew what they were, they kept it to themselves and we accepted each other on those terms.
Would that all did …
(And yes, pun intentional.)
Hi Argus,
I would thank you for taking the time to comment on my article however I have to question why and where you find the time to spread such hate and ignorance. May I ask if any particular minority group that you might possibly belong to has ever experienced persecution, constant harrasment and the threat of violence, simply because of who you are? Or do you have the privilage of being a middle class, white, heterosexual male with no religious persuasion? Can I also ask if you know how it feels to be hated by people who don’t even know you, simply because of who you happen to fall in love with?
I’ll presume you come from some tiny hillbilly village in the deep south of America where the only things you were ever taught were how to clean your gun and skin a chicken.
Get a life, asshole.
I thought it would be sooner than 2014. Oh well, better late than never! Thanks for dropping by bluejayblog, too. Seasons Greetings!