Same Sex Marriage
The state versus the church row over same sex marriages has escalated with the Church responding to the government’s proposals to allow same sex marriages stating they shouldn’t be allowed.
Mark Mosley head of the Family law department at Vincent’s comments
"We have in our society sought to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race, gender and sexual orientation for decades. There is still some way to go and Lawyers have been proudly at the forefront of tackling such discrimination."
People in same sex relationships can have their relationship legally recognised by forming a civil partnership since the commencement of the Civil Partnership Act 2004. The very fact the Civil Partnership Act exist is itself recognition of discrimination. It says same sex couples if they want legal recognition of their relationship have to form civil partnerships. Heterosexual couples cannot form civil partnerships but for legal recognition they have to register their marriage under the Marriage Act 1949 as amended. So we do treat people differently according to their sexual orientation.
As a lawyer in a Legal aid practice Mark adds "By bringing forwarded a bill to allow for same sex marriages the government is taking another step to end discrimination on the grounds of orientation. There still exist an anomaly in that civil partnerships will remain but still remain closed to heterosexual couples, perhaps some joined up thinking wouldn’t go a miss."