UK Government Opens Consultation for Gay Marriage

Lynne Featherstone

The British government launched a public consultation process on Thursday regarding its plan to let gay couples marry. This gives the Christian communities another three months to express their strong objections.

According to Clerics, along with the Church of England led by the Queen and the Roman Catholic hierarchy, believe that Prime Minister David Cameron is interfering in religion with a plan to extend the full legal status marriage to homosexuals.

Since 2005, gay couples in the UK can contract unions known as civil partnerships. Equalities Ministers Lynne Featherstone said: “The essential question is not whether we are going to introduce same-sex civil marriage but how.”

Churches and religions will not be obliged to modify their own marriage rites. Featherstone announced that the plan is to introduce the legislation before the next election in 2015. (AV)