A campaign group has launched a legal bid for gay marriage and heterosexual civil partnerships at the European courts.
Eight couples backed by the Equal Love campaign are filing a joint
application to the European Court of Human Rights today to have the ban
on gay civil marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships overturned.
The campaign is being spearheaded by gay rights advocate Peter
Tatchell, who said same-sex couples were looking for more than a civil
partnership.
“The 21 December is the fifth anniversary of the first civil
partnership ceremonies in England. This was a breakthrough moment in
legal equality and social acceptance for same-sex couples,” he said.
“Now it is time to go one step further by overturning the ban on gay civil marriages (i.e. marriages in register offices).
“Some same-sex couples do not want marriage. They are happy with
civil partnerships. We respect their feelings. But other lesbian and
gay couples would like to get married. It is the universally recognised
system of love and commitment.”
He continued: “We sympathise with heterosexual couples who don’t like
the patriarchal history of marriage and the idea of being called
husband and wife. They would rather have a civil partnership instead.
The law should give them that option.”
The group mounting the legal challenge at the European courts
consists of four same-sex couples who were refused marriage licenses by
their local register offices and four heterosexual couples whose
applications for civil partnerships were turned down by their local
register offices.
Mr Tatchell said there was “no justification” for the existence of two “mutually exclusive and discriminatory systems”.
He said current law discriminated against couples on the basis of sexual orientation.
“In a democratic society, we should all be equal before the law,” he said.
SIC: CT/UK