Comment: Tomorrow’s equal marriage vote will be a milestone moment in Scottish history

Writing for PinkNews.co.uk, the Equality Network’s Tom French says tomorrow evening will hopefully be an opportunity to celebrate significant progress for LGBT rights in Scotland.

Tomorrow evening the Scottish Parliament will hold its final vote on Scotland’s equal marriage bill.

The ‘stage 3’ debate on the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill will be the last opportunity for MSPs to make any amendments to the bill before they decide whether or not to pass it into law.

If the bill passes Scotland will become the 17th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage and give lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people an equal right to marry the person they love.

Having secured important changes to the bill since the initial draft was published back in 2012, we now stand to have one of the most progressive equal marriage laws in the world. Major victories such as the scrapping of the spousal veto and allowing the option of gender-neutral marriage ceremonies mean that Scotland’s legislation really will provide genuine marriage equality for all, including trans and intersex people. That’s why the Equality Network strongly believes this bill was well worth the wait.

This final vote on equal marriage will be a milestone moment in Scottish history. Thirty-four years after Scotland decriminalised homosexuality in 1980, our MSPs will have the chance to remove the final major piece of sexual orientation discrimination from Scots law, the last big step in the long journey towards full legal equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Scotland.

For trans and intersex people there is still more work to do in order to secure legal equality, and of course achieving equality under the law doesn’t guarantee an end to the barriers, prejudice and discrimination that LGBT people continue to face in society. So our work in all these areas must continue.

Nonetheless, tomorrow evening will hopefully bring an opportunity to celebrate significant progress, and it is fitting that this historic vote will take place during LGBT History Month, a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come as a society and to recognise all the work that generations of LGBT people in Scotland have put into fighting for equal rights over the course of many decades to get us to this point.

For our part, the Equality Network want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Equal Marriage campaign over the past six years, and all those who have supported our work for LGBT equality in Scotland over the past 17 years.

Whatever the outcome of tomorrow’s vote we know that everyone’s efforts have helped make a strong and positive case for equal marriage. Our politicians have seen the strength of feeling at the dozens of rallies, marches and events we’ve held, and they’ve received hundreds of thousands of emails, postcards, and consultation responses calling for equality.

In the last 24 hours we are urging supporters not to let the momentum slip. Please contact Scotland’s politicians one final time: www.equalmarriage.org.uk/itstime to ask them to pass the bill, and if you can make it please join us outside the Scottish Parliament at 1pm tomorrow for the final rally of the campaign!

Tom French is the Equality Network’s policy co-ordinator and tweets at @TomfromBrighton.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/02/03/comment-tomorrows-equal-marriage-vote-will-be-a-milestone-moment-in-scottish-history/

I'm sure that Scotland will follow England, and legalize gay marriage soon.   

this could lead to even more kilt lifting..lol

MSPs applauded after plans to allow same-sex marriages passed by 105 votes to 18
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Gay marriage bill: How MSPs voted
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A bill which allows same-sex weddings to take place in Scotland has been passed by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.

MSPs voted by 105 to 18 in favour of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill.

The Scottish government said the move was the right thing to do but Scotland's two main churches were opposed to it.

The first gay and lesbian weddings could take place this autumn.

Religious and belief bodies can "opt in" to perform same-sex marriages.

Ministers said no part of the religious community would be forced to hold such ceremonies in churches.



During a debate at Holyrood, MSPs rejected amendments which were said to provide "protection" for groups and individuals opposed to same-sex marriage.

The SNP's John Mason tabled an amendment stating that no-one could be "compelled by any means" to solemnise gay marriage, including by a contract or a legal requirement.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Glenn Campbell Glenn Campbell BBC Scotland news

Gay and lesbian couples are allowed to marry in sixteen countries around the world.

That includes England & Wales where the first same-sex weddings are due to take place at the end of March.

In Scotland, the government says it wants ceremonies to become available "as soon as possible".

The BBC understands that it will be October - at the earliest - before this happens.

By the end of 2014, Northern Ireland is expected to be the only part of the UK that does not allow same-sex marriage.

Critics fear the Scottish legislation could lead to those with a traditional view of marriage facing discrimination.

But the Scottish government insists that freedom of expression is fully protected.

It has yet to decide whether or not to open civil partnerships to mixed sex couples.

Mr Mason said that this was similar to a measure included in the bill passed by the UK Parliament allowing same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

Health Secretary Alex Neil insisted there were "robust protections for religious bodies and celebrants" in the bill and the amendment was unnecessary.

Mr Mason tabled further amendments, including one calling for recognition that "a belief in marriage as a voluntary union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others for life is a belief worthy of respect in a democratic society".

He said: "This has been the prevailing view in Scotland for centuries, and may now be considered a minority view or even old fashioned, but it is an integral tenet of faith for many Christians, Muslims and others as well as the belief of many of no faith position at all."

Mr Mason added: "We have seen volunteers in the third sector removed from the board for publicly supporting traditional marriage."

The first same-sex weddings in England and Wales will take place from 29 March, in the wake of legislation already passed by the Westminster parliament.

In Scotland, same-sex couples currently have the option to enter into civil partnerships, but SNP ministers brought forward their Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill, saying the move was an important step for equality.

MSPs were allowed a free vote, rather than along party lines.
'Not far enough'

Mr Neil said passing the bill meant "a historic day in the history of the Scottish Parliament", which received the front-bench backing of Labour's Jackie Baillie and Conservative Jackson Carlaw.

Gay rights organisations, including the Equality Network and Stonewall Scotland, and a range of other groups, have supported the legislation.

But the Scottish Catholic Church and Church of Scotland oppose the move, and have said they have no plans to conduct same-sex marriages.

And the campaign group Scotland for Marriage said the safeguards in the bill did not go far enough.

   

Those against the move to introduce gay marriage protested outside Holyrood

Key measures in the Scottish government's bill include:

Religious and belief bodies opt in to perform same-sex marriage.

Civil marriage ceremonies can take place anywhere agreed by the registrar and the couple, other than religious premises.

Celebrants who are part of an organisation which has not opted in would not be allowed to conduct same-sex marriages.

Individual celebrants who felt it would go against their faith to carry out same-sex weddings would be protected.

Establishing belief ceremonies, such as humanist ceremonies as a "third form of marriage", alongside religious and civil events.

Authorising Church of Scotland deacons to solemnise opposite sex marriage.

Possible tests for religious and belief bodies to meet when solemnising marriages or registering civil partnerships, in light of increasing concerns over sham and forced marriages.

Introducing religious and belief ceremonies to register civil partnerships.

Allowing transgender people to stay married, rather than having to get divorced, when obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate.

Provision making it clear that the introduction of same-sex marriage has no impact on existing rights to freedom of speech and that it is possible to oppose same-sex marriage "without being homophobic".

Amended guidance on the teaching of the issue in schools.

And an intention to recognise same-sex marriages registered elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

Quakers have campaigned in favour of same-sex marriage and have said they would allow ceremonies to take place on their premises.

Other religious groups which back change include Buddhists and the Pagan Federation.

The Church of Scotland - whose ruling General Assembly last year voted to allow actively gay men and women to become ministers - has said the institution stood against homophobia, but added that the "wide spread of opinion" on gay marriage was reflected among members of congregations across the country.

As well as the main bill, Scottish ministers have also reached an agreement with the UK government for an amendment to the 2010 Equality Act.
Blessings offer

The move aims to protect individual religious celebrants, who do not wish to conduct same-sex marriages, from the threat of court action claiming discrimination.

Westminster's Marriage Act which became law last July, will allow religious organisations to "opt in" to offering weddings, with the Church of England and Church in Wales banned in law from doing so.

The Church of England, the Church in Wales and other faith groups have stated their opposition to gay marriage.

A report commissioned by the Church of England has recommended that members of the clergy should be allowed to offer blessings to same-sex couples.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is not currently considering any legislation to allow same-sex marriage.

The Scottish government's marriage bill was brought forward after a government consultation, which produced a record 77,508 responses

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-25960225

 ::sexbnan: ::sexbnan: ::sexbnan: 

A rainbow has appeared in the sky above Scottish parliament, hours before a vote on equal marriage.

The rainbow was sighted above Edinburgh before the vote on the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, due at 6pm.

The Equality Network said they hoped the rainbow was a “good omen”.

The bill is expected to receive overwhelming support during the final vote, as a previous reading was passed by 98 votes to just 15 against, with 5 abstentions.

David Silvester, who claimed last month that gay marriage had caused recent storms, was suspended from UKIP today.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/02/04/rainbow-appears-over-scottish-parliament-before-equal-marriage-vote/

    

@rainbow

The GODS have SPOKEN

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veya_victaous wrote:@rainbow

The GODS have SPOKEN

 ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::  ::alahoo::

You're a very strange individual