Would-be Sttish lear unr fire over gay marriage stance | AP News

Contents:

• COMG OOT: THE FABULO HISTORY OF GAY STLAND
• GAY MARRIAGE SCOTLAND
• GAY MARRIAGE LAW TO EFFECT STLAND
• STTISH EPISPAL CHURCH APPROV GAY MARRIAGE
• WOULD-BE STTISH LEAR UNR FIRE OVER GAY MARRIAGE STANCE

COMG OOT: THE FABULO HISTORY OF GAY STLAND

"He says homosexualy was somethg fai, relig stutns, the medil profsn and society at large all chose to source, Elae LivgstoneImage ptn, San (left) and Gerrie Douglas-Stt had Nila Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie as wns at their weddg"Growg up queer post-war Stland is sentially occupyg a social and sexual wilrns, " Dr Meek of male homosexualy had been outlawed for centuri and were ma stricter the late 19th Century but same-sex ntact between women had never been targeted law and was not illegal. Homosexual men were forced unrground to public toilets or illic Meek says: "The nsequenc of beg ught were signifint. "Image source, Equaly Network/Same Love PhotographyImage ptn, Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster formalised their marriage SydneyPeople went to prison for sometim two years or were locked up psychiatric 1957, after a succsn of well-known men were nvicted of homosexual offenc, the Wolfenn report remend that "homosexual behavur between nsentg adults private should no longer be a crimal offence".

"It took a for the remendatns of the Wolfenn report to be bee law England and Wal, crimalisg homosexualy for men over 21. But bee of Jam Adair, homosexualy Stland remaed illegal, classified as crimally-praved source, Getty ImagMany gay Sts had to rign themselv to a life the 1969, a brave group of gay Sts cid they uld not change their sexualy so they set out to change SMG (Sttish Mori Group) arranged diss and get-togethers for gay men and for lbian women. The SMG started to make money and leased property Broughton Street Edburgh where set up the Gay Informatn Centre and operated a telephone, historian and gay activist Bob Cant says: "I thk the Sttish Mori Group serv an enormo amount of cred.

GAY MARRIAGE SCOTLAND

"Thirteen years after the law was reformed England, Labour MP Rob Cook lodged an amendment the Sttish Crimal Jtice Bill and homosexualy was fally crimalised Stland ptn, Leanne and Marie Banks were one of the first gay upl Stland to bee marriedThat saw an explosn of gay culture to the mastream.

In Glasgow, the gay mec was mentator Damian Barr tells a BBC Stland documentary: "I uld not have imaged a place like this existed. "Dpe the study relatg to dg addicts and the figur beg batable, homosexual sex was once aga portrayed as somethg to 1987 Margaret Thatcher's ernment went to war wh the gay source, Tged Memori / Equaly NetworkImage ptn, Joe Schofield (left) and partner Mallm Brown (right) were among the first to marry unr the new lawThe prime mister told the Tory nference: "Children who need to be tght the tradnal moral valu are beg tght that they have an alienable right to be gay. "Sectn 28 of the Lol Government Act 1988 prohibed "the teachg of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship".

"There was outrage and protts across the untry at this rollg back of the rights of gay people but the law stayed place until the re-tablishment of the Sttish Parliament of s first acts was to repeal Sectn 28 but had a battle on s hands. Journalist David Torrance says that spe beg very unpleasant at the time was a "thartic" experience that got Stland talkg about gay rights issu and fally swept away the old the Millennium, Sts attus to homosexualy have changed dramatilly. Surveys suggt that more than two thirds of Sts actively approve of gay marriage and is now homophobia that is 2005, civil partnerships were ma legal for gay upl and the followg year same-sex upl were able to year, as the Commonwealth Gam was beg shown around the world, Stland clared s new openns wh a kilted gay kiss as part of the openg year end wh gay marriage beg legal Stland and the lear of the Sttish Conservativ, a lbian, passnately supportg the move.

GAY MARRIAGE LAW TO EFFECT STLAND

A queer tale Oot: The fabulo history of gay Stland is on BBC One Stland on Monday 30 November at on this storyAround the BBC.

While clergy will not be required to marry same-sex upl, the move mak the mory who oppose the natnal church’s volvement gay marriage worried about further divisn. The vote mak the Church of Stland the largt church the UK to allow gay marriag, creasg the spl wh the Prottant fah.

STTISH EPISPAL CHURCH APPROV GAY MARRIAGE

It has already allowed gay misters to wh the threat of a global revolt wh the Anglin munn, the Church of England has nsistently refed to approve same-sex 2017 the Sttish Epispal church, which is Anglin, voted at s synod to approve same-sex marriag, beg the first Stland to do so. Methodists, Quakers and the Uned Reformed church already nduct measure had already been supported an ditive vote by Church of Stland prbyteri, which are s lol erng bodi, but crics warned uld crease ternal rifts and leave the church open to legal Rev Stt Rennie, a mister at the centre of a bter and protracted dispute the church over the employment of openly gay clergy 13 years ago, told the general assembly he was heartened that spe the fear and uncertaty surroundg the proposal, now had majory support. ”Another speaker, Craig Dobney, told the general assembly that s past opposn to gay marriag had alienated people: a primary school near his church had stopped g after the church refed to appot a gay mister.

Existg civil partnerships n now be nverted to a marriage and other same-sex upl n give notice of their tentn to new legislatn was ed for the first time shortly after midnight when one uple upgrad their civil partnership at the Brish nsulate first gay weddgs Stland will take place on Hogmanay. "Image ptn, Leanne and Marie Banks were one of the first gay upl Stland to bee marriedThe uple earlier said: "We always nsired our civil partnership to be our marriage, but the ey of the law and society wasn't held the same regard. "'Day of celebratn'One of the first gay upl to bee married Stland were Leanne and Marie were at Dune Registrars' office at 08:45 to sign the documents.

"Image source, ThkstockImage ptn, The first gay weddgs Stland will take place on 31 DecemberCol Macfarlane, director of Stonewall Stland, said: "Many of the upl celebratg today and the weeks and months ahead have been together for s and a civil partnership sce they were troduced 2005. "While there is still lots to do before the lived day-to-day experience of many lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people is tly equal Stland, this is a day of celebratn and we know the ceremoni will be a wonrful early Christmas prent for many upl, their iends and fai. More than two-thirds of people (68%) agreed that gay upl should have the right to marry, acrdg to the figur om the Social Attus Survey, which tracks public opns on a range of figure par wh jt two-fifths of the public (41%) 2014 survey suggted fewer than a fifth (17%) of Sts were agast same-sex marriage, pared to 29% 2002.

WOULD-BE STTISH LEAR UNR FIRE OVER GAY MARRIAGE STANCE

Younger people were more likely to believe gay upl should be allowed to wed than olr Sts, wh 83% of 18 to 24-year-olds favour pared to 44% of those aged 65 and Sttish ernment said the move was the right thg to do, but Stland's two ma church - the Catholic Church and Church of Stland - are legislatn will see relig and belief bodi optg to perform same-sex marriag, and misters have strsed that no part of the relig muny would be forced to hold such ceremoni on this storyRelated Inter LksThe BBC is not rponsible for the ntent of external s. Media ptn, MSPs appld after plans to allow same-sex marriag passed by 105 vot to 18A bill which allows same-sex weddgs to take place Stland has been passed by MSPs the Sttish voted by 105 to 18 favour of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Stland) Sttish ernment said the move was the right thg to do but Stland's two ma church were opposed to first gay and lbian weddgs uld take place this tumn. Misters said no part of the relig muny would be forced to hold such ceremoni source, PAImage ptn, Equal Marriage mpaigners gathered outsi the Sttish ParliamentDurg a bate at Holyrood, MSPs rejected amendments which were said to provi "protectn" for groups and dividuals opposed to same-sex SNP's John Mason tabled an amendment statg that no-one uld be "pelled by any means" to solemnise gay marriage, cludg by a ntract or a legal Mason said that this was siar to a measure clud the bill passed by the UK Parliament allowg same-sex marriage England and Secretary Alex Neil sisted there were "robt protectns for relig bodi and celebrants" the bill and the amendment was Mason tabled further amendments, cludg one llg for regnn that "a belief marriage as a voluntary unn between one man and one woman to the excln of all others for life is a belief worthy of rpect a mocratic society" said: "This has been the prevailg view Stland for centuri, and may now be nsired a mory view or even old fashned, but is an tegral te of fah for many Christians, Mlims and others as well as the belief of many of no fah posn at all.

'Not far enough' Mr Neil said passg the bill meant "a historic day the history of the Sttish Parliament", which received the ont-bench backg of Labour's Jackie Baillie and Conservative Jackson rights anisatns, cludg the Equaly Network and Stonewall Stland, and a range of other groups, have supported the the Sttish Catholic Church and Church of Stland oppose the move, and have said they have no plans to nduct same-sex the mpaign group Stland for Marriage said the safeguards the bill did not go far source, PAImage ptn, Those agast the move to troduce gay marriage protted outsi HolyroodKey measur the Sttish ernment's bill clu:Relig and belief bodi opt to perform same-sex marriage ceremoni n take place anywhere agreed by the registrar and the uple, other than relig premis.

Provisn makg clear that the troductn of same-sex marriage has no impact on existg rights to eedom of speech and that is possible to oppose same-sex marriage "whout beg homophobic". Quakers have mpaigned favour of same-sex marriage and have said they would allow ceremoni to take place on their relig groups which back change clu Buddhists and the Pagan Church of Stland - whose lg General Assembly last year voted to allow actively gay men and women to bee misters - has said the stutn stood agast homophobia, but add that the "wi spread of opn" on gay marriage was reflected among members of ngregatns across the well as the ma bill, Sttish misters have also reached an agreement wh the UK ernment for an amendment to the 2010 Equaly Act.