UK Gay Marriage: Government Consultation Begins
The government has launched a 12-week consultation on allowing gay couples in England and Wales to marry.
The proposal is being fiercely opposed by some senior church figures, as well as a number of Conservative MPs.
Civil partnerships, introduced in 2005, already give gay couples the same legal rights as married couples.
But the government wants them to be legally allowed to make vows and declare they are married before the next general election, due in 2015.
The Home Office’s consultation paper proposes that same sex couples already in civil partnerships should be able to convert to a civil marriage status.
It also considers whether the status quo should be maintained.
It had been thought the proposals would include legalising same-sex marriages on religious premises, but this is not one of the options.