Gay marriage: Activists unite for final push
By Ian Dunt
An influential gay rights group has finally agreed to back the campaign for gay marriage, bringing unity to what some consider the final push for equality.
The new unity among gay rights groups comes as the Equal Love campaign, which is designed to trigger a court battle on the issue, began its first stage of action.
Campaign group Stonewall, arguably the leading gay rights group, announced that it would now start to campaign for gay marriage this afternoon after months of controversy.
Chief executive Ben Summerskill told a fringe meeting at the Liberal Democrat conference last month that the policy was not a priority for the group and that it would end up costing £5 billion, after the tax and pensions implications of heterosexual couples entering into civil partnerships was calculated.
The group is still refusing to back heterosexuals’ rights to civil partnerships, but will now help the campaign for gay marriage.
“We seek to secure marriage for gay people as a civil vehicle on the same basis as heterosexual marriage, available in a registry office but without a mandate on religious organisations to celebrate it,” the group said in a statement on its website.
“We seek to retain civil partnerships for lesbian and gay people recognising their special and unique status.”
Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who had previously been critical of the group for its stance, commented: “This is good news, at last. Thanks to everyone who lobbied Stonewall to change its policy.
“We can now move forward together, united in our commitment to marriage equality.
“It is, however, very disappointing that Stonewall is still refusing to oppose the ban on heterosexual civil partnerships. This stance is de facto support for discrimination. It looks uncaring and sectarian. It doesn’t help build the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual]-straight alliance that we need to win full equality.”
Meanwhile, activists have initiated the first stage of a tactic designed to secure a court battle on gay marriage.
The Equal Love campaign, which Mr Tatchell launched yesterday, is planning on challenging the ban on gay couples getting married through the Human Rights Act.
Starting on November 2nd, eight couples will file applications at their local registry office. Four homosexual couples will apply for civil marriages and four heterosexual couples will apply for civil partnerships. Every week until December 14th, one couple will make an application.
“If the couples are turned away, as we expect they will be, we plan to take legal action,” Mr Tatchell said.
“Denying them equal treatment is contrary to the Human Rights Act. Our legal team will argue in the courts that the bans on gay marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships are an unlawful and unjustified discrimination.”
Rev Sharon Ferguson, an ordained minister of religion and chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, said: “The simple fact is that no matter how good civil partnerships are with regard to the legal protections and rights they provide, they are still a separate system that was put together to stop gay and lesbian people from being able to marry.
“Like most people in this world, we were brought up to believe that one day we’d fall in love and get married. This is what we want to do and our sexual orientation should not be an impediment.”
Katherine Doyle, who wants to be able to enter into a civil partnership with her boyfriend Tom Freeman, commented: “We have been together for nearly five years and would like to formalise our relationship. Because we feel alienated from the patriarchal traditions of marriage, we would prefer to have a civil partnership.
“As a mixed-sex couple, we are banned by law from doing so. By filing an application for civil partnership, we are seeking to challenge this discriminatory law.”
The Equal Love campaign’s legal case is being prepared by Robert Wintemute, professor of human rights law at Kings College London.
With the Liberal Democrats backing reform in government and a sense that British politics is ready for a final push towards gay marriage, campaigners feel they may finally be able to secure their long-term goals.
