An open invitation to gay rights groups: Is marriage equality a priority?

To coincide with our poll, we’re giving an open invitation to all UK gay rights groups to set out their positions on marriage equality.

Marriage remains the only area of UK law where gay and straight couples are not equal. It is true that civil partnerships offer gay couples all of the rights and benefits available to straight married couples. But they remain a separate institution and, to many, not good enough.

Opinion on the issue is beginning to change. A number of senior politicians from all three main parties have given their support to marriage equality in the past six months, while a Times poll last summer found that 61 per cent of respondents agreed gay couples should be permitted to marry.

We’re offering the UK’s gay rights charities and lobby groups to set out their positions on marriage equality – whether it is a priority for them and if not, what their priority is.

Organisations which accept the invitation will be asked to write an unedited 400-word comment for publication.