← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Centinel
Thread ID: 3890 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2002-12-07
2002-12-07 05:59 | User Profile
From This is London, available online at: [url=http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/nmhp-home_news-43776-9?source=]http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/...43776-9?source=[/url]
07/12/02 - News and city section
** couples hail equal rights move**
Campaigners have joined opposition MPs in welcoming radical plans to offer gay men, lesbians and bisexuals the same legal rights as married couples.
Both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats supported proposals to give same-sex partners next of kin status, mooted by Barbara Roche, the minister for social exclusion and equalities.
She said there was an "extremely strong case" for allowing same-sex couples the chance to register their relationships, giving them many of the same legal rights as married couples.
Gay rights campaigners said they were "surprised and amazed" by the move, welcoming the "long overdue proposals".
But some Christian groups said the plans threatened to "devalue" marriage.
Mrs Roche said many in long-term same-sex relationships had been denied legal recognition.
So-called "civil partnerships" would confer property and inheritance rights on homosexual men and women for the first time and a Bill is thought likely to be introduced in the next session of Parliament.
"I do think society has moved on and I think that we recognise that there are very many people in gay relationships who are in very loving relationships - they may have been very long enduring relationships - but their partnership has no recognition in law," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
She insisted that her proposals would not amount to "gay marriages", but acknowledged couples would be able to arrange their own private ceremonies to mark the event.
"We are not talking about marriage here. What we are talking about is the signing of a register."
2002-12-07 18:08 | User Profile
and bisexuals
How does this work?
Now, let's say a bisexual man marries a bisexual woman. Does the guy get to also have a husband, and the wife get to have a wife? And the spare wife is also married to the spare husband? So you would have a marriage between four people?
2002-12-07 18:59 | User Profile
Now, let's say a bisexual man marries a bisexual woman. Does the guy get to also have a husband, and the wife get to have a wife? And the spare wife is also married to the spare husband? So you would have a marriage between four people?
sounds like a boon for shyster lawyers, as usual