Felicitations, Scotland! You’re all gay married now.
Scottish Parliament just passed the marriage bill, after a years-long deliberation. That means wedding bells will start soon. In fact, they may start sooner than expected.
Originally, the timetable was supposed to be about a year from passage to implementation. But apparently, love has found a way to do the impossible and hasten the pace of government.
UK officials are reportedly working together to make marriage equality start before the end of the year. In the mean time, England and Wales are slated to see marriage equality start on March 29th.
This process has been underway since early 2009, when organizers submitted a petition to reverse a ban that was put in place in 1977. That effort limped along with some hesitation, in part because Scottish officials worried that their marriage laws would be out of sync with the rest of the UK. But when England and Wales launched a consultation on equality in 2011, Scotland finally followed suit.
The government announced plans for a marriage bill in 2012, then finally introduced it in 2013, and now at last has passed it in 2014. The journey towards equality in Scotland has been agonizingly slow, but at last it’s reached its culmination.
Polls show the country generally quite supportive of marriage equality. In a 2010 survey, 61 percent were in support, with just 19 percent opposed.
ScotYes
The Scottish government consultation started before the UK government one, the process took longer, yes, but they got it right, unlike the UK government.
Trans folk in Scotland who are married then transition will not be forced to divorce … Unlike the UK.
No churches in Scotland have been banned from performing same sex marriages….Unlike the UK who have actually banned the Church of England from performing same sex marriages.
…And finally kilts will be compulsory in all ceremonies … Unlike the UK who all wear top hat and tails.
Daniel-Reader
England and Wales aren’t getting marriage equality. There are six different areas that have to be addressed about the England & Wales law before it is equality the way you would define it in a place such as Maine, Minnesota, Argentina, Spain, France, etc.
mcflyer54
@gwendolyn miller: Gwen, we both know your Uncle Wyatt stole that Chrysler 300 and sold it to his drug dealer for some weed. Now go spam some other site.
billforsyth
The Scottish parliament is different to the UK parliament in that it has one chamber as opposed to two, therefore it is usual for bills to be put out for public consultation and all bills must go before various committees of the parliament before being put before the whole parliament for approval.The bill passed which allows for same sex marriage also has other measures in it as well .Many who comment on the workings of the Scottish parliament do so from a position of ignorance as to how the parliament actually works.