<p><strong>Adam Wagner</strong>: Deputy lear of the Liberal Democrats' ments on gay marriage may be the end of a long and tortuo road for mpaigners</p>
Contents:
- A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK
- GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK
- FIRST COUPL WED AS GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL UK
- GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED
- GAY MARRIAGE: 15,000 SAME-SEX UPL WED SCE LAW CHANGE
- WHEN DID BEG GAY BEE LEGAL THE UK?
- CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
- HAS THE TIME E FOR GAY MARRIAGE THE UK?
A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK
Are you g to the UK to get married or to enter a civil partnership? Gay marriage laws the UK have changed - fd out what the legal requiremen * gay marriage legal in uk *
The act, which crimalised homosexual sex acts between nsentg men over the age of 21, opened the door to a slew of legal and social chang which would transform the way Brish society viewed same-sex relatnships over the next 50 are some of the key dat the history of gay rights the UK:1533: The Buggery Act, the first ever law to specifilly outlaw anal sex, was signed to English law. 1835: Jam Pratt and John Smh beme the last men Bra to be executed for homosexual acts. The same year Wilblood was the only openly gay man to ttify before Lord Wolfenn's quiry, which would ultimately remend the crimalisatn of homosexualy.
1957: The Wolfenn mtee published s report, based on three years of ttimony om police, psychiatrists and gay men but one of the mtee's 15 members, drawn om the world of polics, law, medice and amia, agreed that homosexual acts between nsentg men over the age of legal majory - 21 at the time - should not be a matter for the law. Dpe cross-party support for the Act, MPs were hardly lg up to accept homosexualy as a legimate orientatn. "Even those supportg crimalisatn lled homosexualy 'a disabily' and 'a great weight of shame', " says the Huffgton Post.
1972: By the early 1970s, "gay rights anisatns were sprgg up lolly and natnally, " says the Lbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive. In 1972, upwards of 2, 000 gay men and women marched London's first Pri para.
GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK
The prime mister hails an "important moment" for the untry as gay upl bee the first to wed unr a new law allowg same-sex marriag England and Wal. * gay marriage legal in uk *
1988: Then-Prime Mister Margaret Thatcher troduced an amendment to the Lol Government Act 1988 banng state schools om teachg or promotg the "acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship" notor "Sectn 28" ed wispread outrage and as the talyst for a massive surge gay activism, cludg the formatn of LGBT rights group Stonewall UK. Several gay upl were wed at the stroke of midnight on 29 March 2014, when the law officially me to effect. Gay or same-sex marriage is the maral unn of two people of the same sex.
FIRST COUPL WED AS GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL UK
Featherstone further sisted that was not a battle between gay rights and relig beliefs, argug:. “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.
GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED
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. 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.
GAY MARRIAGE: 15,000 SAME-SEX UPL WED SCE LAW CHANGE
Asia is the only populated ntent whose every untry outlaws gay marriage. In the aftermath of the Send World War, nvictns for homosexual offenc creased markedly, wh several high-profile figur beg prosecuted.
WHEN DID BEG GAY BEE LEGAL THE UK?
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.
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.
CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
So I don’t support gay marriage spe beg a Conservative; I support gay marriage bee I’m a Conservative.
HAS THE TIME E FOR GAY MARRIAGE THE UK?
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?
And is cur about the law on homosexual marriage – is a ntradictn to speak of homosexual marriage.
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.