British Partners Can Have Civil Ceremonies In Church
BRIGHTON, England — “It was love at first sight,” said Tony Mason, speaking amid chocolate fountains, flower bouquets and cruise ship brochures at a recent wedding show in this city on the south coast of England.
After a three-and-a-half-year engagement, the besotted groom will soon marry his “soul mate” — an act the Atlanta, Ga., native once thought impossible in his adopted country.
While their wedding will be traditional, and their honeymoon a time-honored riverboat cruise down the Danube, the groom and his prince charming will make history as one of the first same-sex couples to legalize their union in the United Kingdom.
That's because Britain this week brought the Civil Partnerships Act into force. The act grants same-sex couples almost identical rights to those enjoyed by heterosexual married couples; the main difference being that a civil partnership cannot be registered on religious premises.
"The government doesn't support gay marriage
, but you'd have to look hard to find the differences between the rights and responsibilities which it affords straight and gay couples," said Britain's Gay Times "Pride and Groom" December issue, adding that "in the media, it's increasingly being called 'gay marriage.'"
In contrast to the United States, where social conservatives have vehemently opposed same-sex unions, there has been little opposition to the change in law here.
pushing with his-and-his cake toppers and hers-and-hers bath robes.
An industry group called The Gay Wedding Show has toured Belfast, Manchester, Cardiff and Brighton, showcasing gay wedding planners (who deal with issues such as two fathers-of-the-brides walking down the aisle and how to divvy up friends for bachelor and bachelorette parties), wedding locales (such as hotels and palaces), honeymoon vacations and even prenuptial agreements.
Business owners and participants find themselves both nervous and giddy with excitement.
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