Gay marriage
Question
I'm gay. Can I marry my partner and will we have the same rights as straight couples?
Answer
Thanks to the Civil Partnership Act (2004), it's now possible for couples of the same sex to enter into a civil partnership, and your rights and responsibilities will be very similar to those applicable to married heterosexual partners.
Although it's common to talk about this as 'gay marriage', there are a small number of differences between civil partnership and marriage. For example, opposite-sex couples can opt for either a religious or civil marriage ceremony, but civil partnership is an exclusively civil procedure.
However, this is set to change, as the Government plans to allow same-sex marriage - including by those religious organisations that want to offer it - by the next election in 2015.
Updated: 05/02/2013
Question answered by CAB
