Yesterday, Britain's Home Office
launched a Consultation seeking public input on how to provide equal access to civil marriage for same-sex couples. According to the 25-page consultation document (
full text), the government's proposals are designed to:
• enable same-sex couples to get married through civil ceremonies.
• retain civil partnerships for same-sex couples, including the ability to have a civil partnership registration on religious premises (on a voluntary basis and retaining the ban on any religious elements forming part of the registration).
• allow transsexual people to change their legal gender without having to legally end their existing marriage or civil partnership.
• make no changes to how religious marriages are solemnized.
Expanding on the issue of religious marriage, the consultation document says:
marriages solemnized through a religious ceremony and on religious premises would still only be legally possible between a man and a woman. The Government is not seeking to change how religious organisations define religious marriage and any subsequent legislation would be clear that no religious organisation could conduct a religious marriage ceremony on religious premises for same-sex couples.
Annex B of the document sets out specific consultation questions. Interested parties have until June 14 to file responses and comments on the proposals.
BBC News reports on these developments.
