Equal civil marriage consultation →
The UK government is asking for your feedback on Equal Marriage Rights. Take part and make your voice heard.
This consultation sets out the government’s proposals to enable same-sex couples to have a civil marriage.
The key proposals of the consultation are:
to enable same-sex couples to have a civil marriage i.e. only civil ceremonies in a register office or approved premises (like a hotel)
to make no changes to religious marriages. No religious organisation will be forced to conduct same-sex religious marriages as a result of these proposals
to retain civil partnerships for same-sex couples and allow couples already in a civil partnership to convert this into a marriage
civil partnership registrations on religious premises will continue as is currently possible i.e. on a voluntary basis for faith groups and with no religious content
individuals will, for the first time, be able legally to change their gender without having to end their marriage
Current legislation allows same-sex couples to enter into a civil partnership, but not civil marriage.
The full details of the consultation are included in the pdf version of the consultation document, which is available to download.
