Dear Caroline,
I’m sure you know about the current consultation about marriage equality. There are a few reasons I feel allowing same-sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies are necessary:
- Currently even countries which have same-sex marriage don’t recognise UK’s civil partnerships.
- When a married trans* person wants to be legally recognised as the opposite gender, they have to get divorced and then enter into a civil partnership with their spouse.
- Having separate institutions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples means that future governments would be able to legislate differently for them (granted the Equality Act would have to be repealed first, but this isn’t beyond the realms of possibility).
On a personal note, as a bisexual woman if I were to enter into a long term, committed relationship, I would like the option to marry them, whatever their gender.
So on that note, I’d like to ask, if it came to a vote in Parliament, between the status quo and allowing same-sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies, what would your vote be?
Yours,
Vicky Syred
