Tyche Shepherd

An English heterosexual couple are taking the first step in challenging the UK's current ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships by attempting to register for a civil-partnership. The UK has a separate but equal system of civil marriages (for opposite sex partners) and civil-partnerships (for same sex couples).

The couple claim that the current system is discriminatory and perpetuates legal inequality and that any two people should be able to be legally joined together as either a civil marriage or partnership regardless of gender.


More here : Straight couple demand right to civil partnership - PinkPaper

__________________

Dnate Mars

Is it really so hard to just ban marriage? If you want to get married, go to a church. If you want to be legally recognized as a couple, then civil unions are for you. If you want both, well, then you can!

Tyche Shepherd

I understand where you are coming from , but in the case of the UK (where the OP is set) , all marriages are civil marriages regardless of whether they take place in a church, mosque, stately home, a registry office or up a tree in a forest .

The official recognition (and therefore legal status) of a marriage is made by the state by being registered with the Registrar General and not by any Church or other 3rd party, many priests, imans and rabbis (and all CoE Vicars) are licensed by the state to serve this function , but they still only acting as representatives of the registrar.

I see no reason why this should change . However what I do think is that there should be no absolutely no differentiation between a joining together of a same sex couple as a different sex couple , right down to the name used to describe this which may as well be marriage .