101 EVENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

THE MARRIAGE ACT (SAME SEX COUPLES)

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which introduced same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

The Government's equal marriage promotion

Civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2004, allowing same-sex couples and couples of whom one spouse had changed gender to live in legally-recognised intimate partnerships similar to marriage. It also compelled opposite-sex couples to end their marriage if one or both spouses underwent gender change surgery, or if the couple was not recognised in law as having male and female gender.

Following the 2010 General Election, in September 2011, Liberal Democrat Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone launched a consultation in March 2012 on how to introduce civil marriage for same sex couples in England and Wales. The consultation closed in June 2012 and, in December 2012, the new Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller, stated that the Government would be introducing legislation "within the lifetime of this Parliament" and that they were "working towards this happening within this Parliamentary Session". 

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was introduced into Parliament on 24 January 2013. The leaders of the three main political parties in the United Kingdom gave their members a free vote in Parliament on the legislation, meaning they would not be whipped to vote for or against it.

The Bill was welcomed by many, including the gay rights campaigning group Stonewall. The organisation Labour Humanists said there was "no credible ethical reason" to oppose gay marriage and Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller, told the House of Commons that the proposals "will strengthen, not weaken" the institution of marriage.

The Bill included a "quadruple lock" to safeguard religious organisations from being forced to conduct same sex marriages.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking, when i decided to write about this topic i did so under my own views that love is love it doesnt matter what sex or gender you are if you are happy with your choice of partner that is what matters LOVE IS LOVE