Equal Marriage Bill: Straight Couples Refused Equality
Ban On Heterosexual Civil Partnerships To Remain
Gay couples will have legal advantage under Cameron plan
London - 24 January 2013
“While legalising marriage equality is laudable, it is appalling that the government is refusing to end discrimination
against straight couples in civil partnership law. Opposite-sex couples are legally prohibited from having a civil
partnership and David Cameron intends to keep it that way,” said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights
organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
He was commenting on the unveiling of government legislation for equal marriage rights for gay couples, which takes
place tomorrow, Friday 25 January 2013.
“Despite proclaiming that the legalisation of same-sex civil marriage is driven by the principle of equality, the
government’s forthcoming legislation will retain the inequality of the current legal ban on heterosexual civil
partnerships.
“This will mean that for the first time in British law gay couples will have legal privileges over heterosexual
couples,” he said.
Mr Tatchell has spearheaded the campaign for same-sex marriage for 20 years. He currently coordinates the Equal Love campaign and its legal case in the European Court of Human Rights, which is challenging the UK’s twin bans on same-sex
civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships. See here: http://bit.ly/xJumfO
“Under government legislation, there will be two forms of official state recognition for lesbian and gay couples: the
present system of civil partnerships and the new system of civil marriages. Heterosexual couples will have only one
option: marriage. They will be subjected to legal inequality and discrimination.
“This is very wrong. I support straight equality,” said Mr Tatchell.
Together with members of OutRage! Peter Tatchell He pioneered the campaign for equal marriage on 19 March 1992, when he
organised the first challenge to the ban on same-sex marriage. Five same-sex couples from OutRage! filed marriage
licence applications at Marylebone Register Office in London. They were refused.
While most LGBT organisations accepted the second best option of civil partnerships in 2004, Mr Tatchell continued the
campaign for marriage equality.
As coordinator of the Equal Love campaign, together with Professor Robert Wintemute of Kings College London he organised the legal challenge in the
European Court of Human Rights in February 2011.
Read the application to the ECHR here: http://bit.ly/xJumfO
“This legal case helped prompt the government to commit itself three months later to end the ban on same-sex marriage,”
added Mr Tatchell.
“Our European Court case also seeks to overturn the prohibition on opposite-sex civil partnerships. This aspect of the
legal case will continue, despite the government’s legislation of marriage equality.
“My four decades of human rights activism have been based on the principle of equality. I can’t accept equal rights for
gay couples but not for heterosexual couples.
“In a democratic society, we should all be equal before the law. Straight men and women also deserve equality.
“Both civil marriages and civil partnerships should be open to all couples, without any sexual orientation
discrimination.
“In the Netherlands, where civil marriages and civil partnerships are available to all couples - gay and straight – the
vast majority of civil partnerships are between heterosexual men and women. Some straight people prefer them.
“If civil partnerships were made available to heterosexual couples in the UK there would probably be a similar
significant take up.
“This issue is not about numbers. It is about equality. Even if only a handful of straight people wanted a civil
partnership, they are entitled to have one,” said Mr Tatchell, Director of the human rights advocacy organisation, the
Peter Tatchell Foundation.
Further information:
Peter Tatchell
Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation
ENDS