We need full equal marriage, not this Tory compromise

Much fanfare has been made about the opening this week of a government consultation on equal marriage. However if you look behind the headlines, all is not as it seems.

I have two key issues with the government’s proposal as it stands:

The first is that it expressly bans religious civil marriages between same-sex couples, even when faith organisations – for example the Quakers, the Unitarians and Liberal Judaism – have expressed a desire to perform them. I can only assume that the government, fearful of the powerful extremist religious lobby recently seen spewing homophobic hatred under the guise of religious dogma, does not want to give any suggestion that faith organisations are going to be forced to do anything.

Secondly, it bans heterosexual civil partnerships. Many heterosexual couples may wish to go down this route as an alternative to marriage and all the connotations that come with it. In the Netherlands, where civil partnerships and civil marriage are open to couples of either gender, over two thirds of civil partnerships are taken out by heterosexual partners. Full equality means opening up both civil partnerships and civil marriage to heterosexual and same-sex couples.

I welcome moves by the government to continue Labour’s legacy on LGBT rights and move forward with this natural progression from Labour’s civil partnerships, but it’s important to get something so historic right. Making a hash of it by banning faith organisations who want to from performing same-sex civil marriages and continuing to enforce a separate but equal policy by banning heterosexual couples from civil partnerships is not the approach to take. The government should listen to Labour and back full equal marriage for all.

Have your say on the government’s consultation here.