Equal civil marriage consultation

[Alittlefeminist]

Please take part in this short Home Office consultation on equal civil marriage: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/equal-civil-marriage

A great opportunity also to make your views heard on the need to open up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples!

so, care taken not to offend religions is ok, while care need not be taken not to offend gays? the state may claim to treat the two the same, but if gay people are the same as straight, why are different names needed?

I don't understand your objection, warmster, is it purely on the basis that this isn't something you deem necessary for gay people, and therefore the cost in parliamentary time outweighs whatever benefits gay people perceive from being equal in name?

fwiw, one consequence of the current situation is that whenever I fill out an insurance application, for example, I have to out myself by ticking cp, which might be fine if I knew the person dealing with me wasn't homophobic, but that is never guaranteed.

Bit of a mouthful though Wamster.

I've been married to X for 10 years.
I've been civilly-partnered to X for 10 years.

When did you get married?
When did you get civilly-partnered?

etc.

I suppose my stance is this:

To me, marriage is a legal contract and what the couple make of it is up to them as a couple-as with any relationship.
If cp's provide same rights, there is no need for further government input.

I also find the idea that society will treat married gay people differently as opposed to civilly-partnered ones to be misguided. It won't-if you're non-homophobic, you're not going to care. If you are well, would it matter what (place offensive word that homophobes use here) do?

LeeCoakley, sorry, I don't think the name being a mouthful is good enough reason to change things.

It's possible to be against gay marriage and be a non-homophobic atheist-as I am. Not everybody against gay marriage is a homophobic, religious type

If you are a straight person, then you are in the position of privilege to choose either a civil marriage or a marriage within the context of your chosen faith. If you are in a same sex relationship, you have only the choice of a civil partnership. No matter how you try to contort the language to say it makes no difference, no matter if you insist that legally it's pretty well the same so what's the problem, no matter what emotive language you use to condemn those who say that a civil partnership is not sufficient for how they wish to recognise and have their relationship recognised, it doesn't change the fact that in law, gay couples are treated differently from straight couples.

It is gay men and Lesbians who are calling for a change in the law, alongside the faith groups that want to have the opportunity to treat their straight and gay members the same, but aren't allowed to. It's also of course supported by straight people who believe in equality, fairness and justice.

There's something that doesn't sit right with me about a straight person and person who doesn't profess a faith saying they know what's best for Lesbians and gay men and for faith communities. It's an issue as a straight person you Wamster, nor I will ever have to deal with. I don't believe we are entitled to make pronouncements about something that affects the lives of gay men and Lesbians but not us. Do you really feel so entitled yourself?

I can't see that it is in any way acceptable to have ANY distinction between the legally sanctioned partnership / wedding of a same sex couple and a different sex couple. they need to be CALLED the same thing and have exactly the same terms and conditions.

IMO the whole proposal has been modelled in the wrong way and still lines the heterosexual version up alongside the religious wedding, leaving the Civil Parthership alone as the gay option.

KRITIQ No in law gay people are treated if in civil partnerships as the same as the married.

In religions, they are not. But, hey ho, religions have rights, too. They don't want to marry gay people and that is their choice. How abhorrent to be made to marry two people that you believe to be committing a sin?

some religions DO want to marry gay people though. And they can't. That's discrimination surely.

How abhorrent to be made to marry two people that you believe to be committing a sin?

No one is proposing that this should happen. You know that.