Scotland To Consider Same-Sex Marriage

All of the UK enjoys "civil partnership" rights, but Scotland may take the next step. The Scottish Parliament has accepted a petition to review the current marriage law.

The petition, brought by Nick Henderson of the LGBT Network, calls for an amendment to the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 to allow gay and lesbian couples to legally marry. It also calls on the law to be changed to allow a same sex marriage to be performed by a faith group, if the religious institution consents. Currently, civil partnerships can only be conducted by a civil registrar. A number of MSPs have spoken out in favour of the move, with some calling for Scotland to lead the way on same-sex marriage in Europe. Labour's Marlyn Glen said the call was part of "ongoing progress in society" when it came before Parliament's Petitions Committee. John Wilson, of the Scottish Nationalist Party, said he strongly felt that the marriage legislation should “encompass the whole of society”.

A number of religious and non-religious groups will be asked to weigh in on the petition.