Equal Marriage: Five Years

© M J Chapman

Philip Baldwin

July marks the five year anniversary of the passing of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, applicable in England and Wales. This legislation came into force on 13 March 2014, with the first same-sex marriages taking place on 29 March 2014. In Scotland the legislation was not passed until February 2014, with the first ceremonies taking place in December of that year. Northern Ireland has yet to see equal marriage, with staunch opposition from, amongst others, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Northern Ireland is at odds with the rest of the UK and most of Western Europe on this issue.

Over the last five years attitudes towards equal marriage have changed dramatically in the UK and globally. Ireland backed equal marriage in 2015, with 62% of voters supporting the measure in a referendum. In the USA, also in 2015, equal marriage was approved by a ruling of the Supreme Court. At the end of 2017, the Australian Parliament legislated in favour of equal marriage. At the time, a postal ballot showed that support for equal marriage stood at over 60% within the country.

We have a situation in the UK where most LGBT people are free to marry the person they love. It is not just the general population, but also the LGBT community who have embraced equal marriage. It is a long time since I heard an LGBT person object to equal marriage on the grounds that the LGBT community should not mimic heterosexual norms, a belief which a few of my friends once held.

But what about those who still cannot marry? In Northern Ireland, with Stormont currently closed for business, some groups would like to see equal marriage imposed from Westminster. This is a devolved matter and for Westminster to take the decision on equal marriage could heighten tensions at a time when the Brexit border negotiations are already proving problematic. It is the DUP who are blocking equal marriage, with Sinn Féin, the Republican party, in favour. The DUP have misused the ‘petition of concern’ mechanism, a peace process power found in the Good Friday Agreement, to block equal marriage five times. It is important that the DUP stick to the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and deploy their veto to protect minority communities, rather than persecute them.

It is not just in Northern Ireland that some LGBT people are unable to marry. As some Fyne Times readers may know, I am a passionate Christian. Whilst the 2013 Act was great, opening the floodgates for gay marriage in the UK, faith organisations, including the Church of England, were given exemptions. In 2013 the government had to make these concessions to get the legislation through both Houses of Parliament. The flipside of this is that discrimination against same-sex couples, within the context of faith communities, is effectively enshrined in law.

It is my dream to get married in a Church of England church. The Church’s current stance on same-sex marriage leaves me, at times, feeling like a second class Christian. Jesus’ message is unequivocally one of love. Marriage is a sacrament and not one which should be denied to LGBT people. We need a Church that is fit for purpose. The situation is even worse for LGBT priests within the Church of England, who are permitted to have relationships, but must remain celibate. The Church of England continues to walk a tightrope on sexuality and LGBT worshippers are suffering as a consequence. Many people within the Church of England would now like to see the exemptions for faith communities in the 2013 Act removed and politicians, as well as faith leaders, will have to be engaged to do this.

The fifth anniversary of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act is something which we should celebrate. Let us not forget, that on equal marriage, as well as on a number of other LGBT issues in the UK, there still remain pockets of exclusion. Until we have achieved equality for every LGBT person in the UK and abroad, the battle is not over.

Twitter: @philipcbaldwin