england

...now browsing by tag

 
australia ban bill california civil unions defense of marriage act doma events gay couple gay couples Gay Marriage gay rights gay wedding gay weddings gop house illinois iowa lawsuit lesbian weddings maine marriage equality maryland minnesota national organization for marriage new jersey new york nom north carolina poll president obama prop 8 proposition 8 rally repeal rhode island ruling same sex marriage senate supreme court united kingdom usa vote washington washington state
 

UK: House of Commons Passes First Clause of Marriage Equality Bill

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Parliament, LondonThe United Kingdom House of Commons has started the process of passing the 18 individual articles in the marriage equality bill. Pink News explains:

Clause 1 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill passed committee stage 13 votes to 4, and is being considered by the Public Bills Committee in the House of Commons. This is the first clause of eighteen to pass, as the committee must pass each clause individually, possibly making recommendations for amendments. The first clause “makes it lawful for same-sex couples to marry. It ensures that the legal duty of clergy of the Church of England and the Church in Wales to marry parishioners does not extend to same-sex couples.

What’s next?

The bill is currently receiving greater parliamentary scrutiny – after the Commons committee has completed its work – the bill will then be subjected to another vote (third reading) by MPs and it will then undergo a similar process of approval in the House of Lords.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

UK: Marriage Equality Bill Text Released, Government Estimates Costs

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

London ParliamentWe have a few updates on the push for marriage equality in England and Wales. According to Queerty, the government has finally published the text of the marriage equality bill:

Put forward by PM David Cameron’s Conservative Party, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill grants marriage rights to gay couples, but precludes religious groups–most notably the Church of England–from having to perform same-sex ceremonies.

 

“We feel that marriage is a good thing and we should be supporting more couples to marry and that is exactly what the proposals being brought forward today do,” Equalities Minister Maria Miller told BBC Radio. “The values of marriage bind families and communities together and bring stability. I believe that couples should not be excluded from marriage just because they love someone of the same sex.”

The UK marriage equality bill includes a religious exemption:

The Church of England has a legal obligation to marry its parishioners, but Miller said that “to protect them from legal challenge… the bill makes clear that this duty does not extend to same-sex couples.”

Meanwhile, over at Pink News, they’re reporting that the introdiction of marriage equality in England and Wales is likely to cost a lot (but not as much as many claimed):

The Government has said that the costs of introducing same-sex marriage in England and Wales will cost between #3.3m and #4.7m.

The assessment, promised by the Government during the consultation process, is not as large a figure as some opponents of equal marriage had claimed introducing equality would cost.

We’ll be watching this closely as the vote approaches on February 5th.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

England, UK: Bishop of Truro Against Marriage Equality – Suggests Calling It Something Else

Monday, January 21st, 2013

The Bishop of Truro has said he is personally against the idea of gay couples entering into marriages, although he has stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue about the subject.

The Right Reverend Tim Thornton co-chaired an equal marriage public meeting in the Cornish town of Truro on Friday along with Sarah Newton, the Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth.

Sharon James from the Coalition for Marriage (C4M), the main group campaigning against equal marriage in the UK, took part in the meeting and claimed that marriage was a natural union between a man and a woman.

Authored By Scott Roberts – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , ,

England/Wales, UK: Majority of MP’s in House of Commons Will Vote for Marriage Equality

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

Big BenA majority of MPs in the House of Commons have indicated that they intend to vote for the introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

The figures, collated by the Coalition for Equal Marriage show that 330 MPs have said in interviews or letters to constituents that they will support David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s planned legislation that will go to a vote before Valentine’s Day next month. In contrast just 126 have said that they oppose the legislation.

As 4 Sinn Fein election victors have not taken up their seats in the House of Commons, the theoretical number of MPs needed for an absolute majority is 324. However, very few pieces of legislation are ever voted on by every member of the House of Commons. No party is issuing a ‘whip’ on the vote, so MPs are under no obligation to attend and it is expected that a number of Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs will choose to abstain rather than vote in for or against the legislation.

Authored By James Park – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

England/Wales, UK: Marriage Equality Vote Likely Before Valentine’s Day

Monday, January 14th, 2013

Big BenPinkNews understands that MPs will debate and vote on the government’s equal marriage plans for England and Wales before next month’s Valentine’s Day.

Despite reports over the weekend of David Cameron facing renewed pressure to abandon the policy from backbench Conservative MPs, a senior government source has told PinkNews that a second reading of the government’s proposed equal marriage bill will take place before 14 February 2013.

The government remains on course to introduce its bill this month, with a full debate by MPs and vote expected before parliament goes into recess on Thursday 14 February.

Authored By Scott Roberts – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

England, UK: Muslim Council Wants to Be Included in Marriage Equality Ban

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

England, UK: Muslim Council Wants to Be Included in Marriage Equality BanMuslim leaders have spoken out about upcoming marriage equality legislation to say that all religions should be allowed exemption from the law, not just the Church of England and Church in Wales.

The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents more than 500 mosques, schools and charities in the UK, said it was “appalled”, and described the legislation set out by the government as “utterly discriminatory”, reported the Evening Standard.

Same-sex couples in England and Wales are set to be allowed to marry, under plans announced by Culture Secretary Maria Miller in the House of Commons last week.

Authored By Joseph Patrick McCormick – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

England, UK: 60% Support Marriage Equality Plans, Poll Says

Monday, December 17th, 2012

England, UK: 60% Support Marriage Equality Plans, Poll SaysA poll for the Mail on Sunday, a newspaper that is formally opposed to equal marriage has found that the majority of the public support changing the law. The poll also found that half of Conservative voters support David Cameron’s plans for gay equality.

The poll found that 60% agreed with making same-sex marriage legal. A further 21% said that they only support civil partnerships for gay couples. Only 19 % said they were opposed to any legal recognition of gay relationships.

50% of those who voted Conservative at the last general election said they supported changing the law. While 56% of those who say they will vote Conservative if there was a general election tomorrow said they support changing the law.

Authored By James Park – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

England, UK: Several Labour MP’s Threaten to Resign if Forced to Vote for Marriage Equality

Monday, December 17th, 2012

England, UK: Several Labour MP's Threaten to Resign if Forced to Vote for Marriage EqualityPinkNews.co.uk has learnt that Labour’s decision to grant its backbenchers a free vote on equal marriage caused a major rift in the shadow cabinet with deputy leader Harriet Harman amongst those calling for the vote to be whipped.

Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk, a Labour source described last week’s meeting of the shadow cabinet as descending into a “massive row” and that two prominent MPs threatened to resign from Labour’s frontbench – if the party went ahead with a whipped vote.

One of the individuals, a Labour parliamentary veteran, held top cabinet positions in both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair’s governments, and both MPs are of deep religious faith.

Authored By Scott Roberts – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

England, UK: Church of England Not Consulted on Being Banned From Performing Gay Weddings

Friday, December 14th, 2012

England, UK: Church of England Not Consulted on Being Banned From Performing Gay WeddingsThe Church of England says it only learnt of the government’s plan to ban it from performing same-sex marriages when Culture Secretary Maria Miller took to the Commons despatch box on Tuesday.

The Guardian reports that the Right Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester and the Church of England’s lead spokesman in the Lords, told a private meeting of church and political figures there had been a lack of dialogue, with the government not consulting the church on the proposal.

He also reportedly said the COE had not sought the quadruple lock.

Authored By Scott Roberts – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

England, United Kingdom: Labour to Have Free Vote on Marriage Equality

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

England, United Kingdom: Labour to Have Free Vote on Marriage EqualityThe Labour Party has signalled that it will now allow its MPs to have a free vote on the government’s equal marriage plans despite previously indicating that it would impose a three-line whip.

An unnamed Labour MP has told the New Statesman that the move does not constitute a U-turn. He said: “The three-line whip only applied to civil ceremonies. Now the government has agreed to allow gay marriages in religious buildings, we will hold a free vote.”

On Tuesday, Labour MP Austin Mitchell told PinkNews.co.uk that his party must allow Labour MPs to have a conscience vote on the issue.

Authored By Scott Roberts – See the Full Story at Pink News

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , ,

« Older Entries