Where Europe stands on gay marriage and civil unns | Pew Rearch Center

Contents:

• GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK
• CULTURE RE-VIEW: GAY MARRIAGE IS LEGALISED THE UK
• GAY MARRIAGE: 15,000 SAME-SEX UPL WED SCE LAW CHANGE
• GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• WHERE EUROPE STANDS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNNS
• A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK
• FIRST COUPL WED AS GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL UK

GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK

Media ptn, Peter McGrah and David Cabreza, John Coffey and Bernardo Marti, and Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were among the first gay upl to marryThe first same-sex weddgs have taken place after gay marriage beme legal England and Wal at midnight.

David Cameron said the move sent a msage that people were now equal "whether gay or straight", but some relig groups rema opposed. "The law change would enurage young people unsure of their sexualy, he source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Tera Millward and Helen Brearley married HalifaxImage source, APImage ptn, Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sclair Treadway married the uncil chamber at Camn Town Hall LondonImage source, PAImage ptn, Sandi Toksvig and her partner Debbie renewed their civil partnership vows at an event London celebratg the law changeLater on Saturday morng, Mr Cameron tweeted: "Congratulatns to the gay upl who have already been married - and my bt wish to those about to be on this historic day. "This is an credibly happy time for so many gay upl and lbian upl who will be gettg married, but 's an credibly proud time for our untry as well, regnisg equal marriage law, " he said.

Mr Tatchell said the uple and all the others gettg married had "ma history" and "ma Bra a more tolerant, equal place" a crowd of photographers, journalists and well-wishers wag, the uple took the opportuny to highlight the ternatnal stggle for gay McGrah said: "Very few untri afford their gay and lbian cizens equal marriage rights and we believe that this change law will brg hope and strength to gay men and lbians Nigeria, Uganda, Rsia, India and elsewhere, who lack basic equaly and are beg crimalised for their sexual orientatn. "Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were the first same-sex uple to marry BrightonImage source, AFPImage ptn, Phil Robathan and Jam Prton later married at Brighton Town HallLater on Saturday, a crowd of about 2, 000 people - which clud a number of celebri - gathered to watch edian Sandi Toksvig and her partner Debbie renew their civil partnership uple, who entered to a civil partnership seven years ago, exchanged vows on stage at the Royal Ftival Hall London at a special event to celebrate the troductn of gay marriage the UK. But some relig groups rema opposed to gay Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said: "We n't jt refe an stutn - refe somethg that always has been - bee we say 's somethg that we want.

CULTURE RE-VIEW: GAY MARRIAGE IS LEGALISED THE UK

The Roman Catholic Church oppos the change the gay virs, though, have said they are prepared to fy their bishops by sistg they have a right to ptn, The Rev Andrew Ca says he do not want nontatn wh the Church, but "mt do what is right"Among them is the Reverend Andrew Ca, who said the Church was enterg uncharted terrory, but he would not be "ightened" out of dog what he believed was Ca, who plans to marry his partner the summer, said he would do so whether the Church approved or not. “I believe that if a uple love each other and want to m to a life together, they should have the optn of a civil marriage, irrpective of whether they are gay or straight, … are not prrisg gay rights, or tramplg over tradn; we are allowg a space for the two to exist si by si.

Among the public, there was a growg nsens that prohibg gay marriage was discrimatory and unnstutnal by nature. Campaigners noted how prev discrimatn towards homosexuals rulted acute psychologil trma among same-sex upl and their fai. Campaigners for same sex marriage also noted how relig opposn to homosexual marriage was largely amed by the assumptn that the sole purpose of marriage is procreatn.

It is further argued that civil and domtic partnerships grant gay upl the same protectns and rights nferred by marriage whout challengg the classil notn of marriage.

GAY MARRIAGE: 15,000 SAME-SEX UPL WED SCE LAW CHANGE

Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, scribed the proposal to legalise gay marriage as “one of the greatt polil power grabs history. Many have legalised civil partnerships among same-sex upl, while others prerve outright bans on homosexualy.

In the aftermath of the Send World War, nvictns for homosexual offenc creased markedly, wh several high-profile figur beg prosecuted.

In 1954, the Departmental Commtee on Homosexual Offenc and Prostutn Great Bra, head by Sir John Wolfenn, was set up by the Conservative ernment. The rultant Wolfenn Report published 1957 nclud that crimalisatn of homosexualy was an impgement on civil liberty and that homosexual acts between nsentg adults should not be an offence. It was not until a later that the Sexual Offenc Act 1967 crimalised homosexual activy between nsentg adults and set the age of homosexual nsent at 21, later rced to 18.

GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED

There was no statutory age of nsent for lbian sex until the Sexual Offenc Amendment Act 2000 which equalised the age of nsent for homosexual and heterosexual men and women to 16 England, Wal and Stland. In Northern Ireland, the equalised age of nsent was rced to 16 (for both heterosexual and homosexual relatnships) 2008.

So I don’t support gay marriage spe beg a Conservative; I support gay marriage bee I’m a Conservative.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

Why should we ny to people who happen to be gay or lbian who wish to show that mment and share wh their fay, iends and everybody else? 29 March 2014: The first gay weddgs take place the UKAfter centuri of homophobic law the UK, today is the anniversary of the first legal weddgs between two people of the same sex the Civil Partnerships Act of 2004 had prevly ma same-sex civil partnerships legal, profferg many of the rights to gay upl, however was short of legalisg victory was won 2013 thanks to s of polil mpaigng by LGBTQ+ groups. Legislatn was passed England and Wal July, g to effect the next year on 29 March celebrate that day, here are some archive photos of the first gay weddgs that took place the UK.

We spoke to Reverend Andrew Forhew-Ca, the first Church of England to get married the UK, and how the Anglin Church's ntued refal to accept gay marriage is "herent". Other policians stmental the fight for equal marriage clu lord Nick Herbert, the first openly gay man to be elected for the Conservativ and now Boris Johnson’s “special envoy on LGBT+ rights”, Tory mister and barons Ta Stowell, who was rponsible for guidg same-sex marriage through the Hoe of Lords, and stalwart Labour MP Yvette Cooper.

WHERE EUROPE STANDS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNNS

Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love.

There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.

A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK

Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife.

The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage". Same-sex marriage beme legal jt after midnight on 29 March 2014, wh several upl optg to tie the knot moments source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Slightly more women have married pared to men - Tera Millward and Helen Brearley married on 29 March 2014Peter McGrah and David Cabreza married at 00:01 BST at Islgton Town Hall havg been together for 17 McGrah said: "I don't thk thgs have changed for many ways, we were already a long-term relatnship, we already had two kids, except the visibily of gay marriage across the world starts to make a difference. "There have always been gay men and lbians long-term relatnships that have que happily survived wh the ntext of fay and muny, but the law ught up wh the existence, and I'm hopg other untri legislatn n give people a chance.

"He add: "Gay men and lbians don't want to be fed or nstraed by notns of 'tradnal' marriage, but the troductn of marriage equaly around the world is a signifier of a kd of progrs for sexual mori. "Media ptn, Peter McGrah and David Cabreza, John Coffey and Bernardo Marti, and Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were among the first gay upl to marryThe ONS said the most popular month to get married so far had been Augt 2014 wh 844 marriag.

FIRST COUPL WED AS GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL UK

Approval fell the 1980s when the Aids crisis and the troductn of sectn 28 - a law prohibg the promotn or teachg of homosexualy schools - uld have swayed public opn acrdg to NatCen, the thk tank which ns the a steady and rapid rise om the early 1990s reflects a wir trend of social liberalisatn, somethg also seen changg attus to pre-maral sex. Approval of pre-maral sex grew ially among the young - as they got olr they retaed that belief, and soon both old and young were more liberal on the same-sex relatnships the shift attu has been quicker - not only did young people wh liberal views get olr, but olr people changed their mds, might part be bee chang the law, such as the legalisatn of civil partnerships and then gay marriage, have a powerful fluence on people's views, a NatCen spokman suggts.