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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
133
London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
133
Tory MP Gerald Howarth: 'There are plenty in the aggressive homosexual community who want more than just same-sex marriage'
94
Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
73
Bret Easton Ellis slams GLAAD and says gay basketball player Jason Collins treated like a 'baby panda'
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Government to consider abolishing civil partnerships or opening up to straight couples
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France: Far right activist commits suicide in Notre Dame following legalisation of equal marriage
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Norman Tebbit: David Cameron has 'f**** things up' with his equal marriage bill
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US Radio host: Gay news websites are covered with porn that is turning teens gay
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Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather tells Catholic newspaper 'I never went into politics to tackle equal marriage'
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Robert in S. Kensington 682
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He’s wrong on one point. The UK was NOT among the first to introduce Civil Partnerships. There are quite a few other countries who introduced varying degrees of legal unions for gay couples. We were latecomers if anything in addition to equal marriage. That said, I’m pleased he now supports equal marriage legislation.
but we have now leap-frogged the Netherlands on the question of allowing those religions who want to to be able to conduct legally constituted marriages between 2 people of the same gender.
As far as I can tell, the Netherlands only recognises civil marriages conducted by registrars, much like Belgium and France. Obviously people can have a religious ceremony too if they want, and surely there must be some LGBT-friendly religions who offer them.
Correct. The involvement or otherwise of religion is independent of the legal status of marriage (and civil partnerships) here in The Netherlands. There was therefore never any question of not allowing churches and mosques to hold ceremonies associated with marriage (and partnership), so there’s no leapfrogging here.
Well, there is another big Commons vote to come after the committee stage so we look forward to Mr Brown putting his vote where his spokesman’s mouth is then.
Good point, Tom. It would be very unlikely that he’d have other plans that day too – or will he?
I find the final line in his statement a bit strange:
“I will support the legislation in the UK Parliament and when it comes to the Scottish Parliament.”
Despite claiming to support it, he didn’t vote for it in the UK Parliament and can’t vote for it in the Scottish Parliament. Given his history on missing votes on gay equality, I’m not convinced he does support it.
He won’t because he is a bigot.
the easiest tactic for a politician is to find a ‘legitimate’ excuse…
Fair enough.
he’s wrong on another. It doesn’t explain why one form of religion is permitted to dictate to another religion which is prevented from fulfilling our religious obligations to EQUALITY. Why is it always assumed that religion must be homophobic and allowance maxde for that. What about religious freedom for religions like Quakers for whom Equality is not an extra but a religious *essential*?
As I understand it, the Anglican bishops explicitly wanted to ban Quakers from celebrating gay weddings as we had done for a generation before civil partnerships came in to being. The thinking was that if Quakers were allowed to celebrate CPs it would set a precedent that would allow a legal challenge to the Anglicans since both churches contain registrars. The nglican bishops along with the Tory Lords made it clear that they woud block the CP legislation unless there was an explicit ban on religious services. In one fell swoop quakers lost the right to hold weddings for same sex couples and so began the long slog to regain that right first through Lord Ali’s ammendment and then from 2009 onwards in a concerted campaign to get marriage equality.
I say all this to clarify that the problems with CPs were not actually because of any wilful negligence by labour back in 2094 but rather because if the realities of working with a backward parliamentary system.
Fine words on the website but doesn’t he have a dodgy voting record on GLBT issues?
Can anyone take seriously the excuse that this prime oaf – who, with Bliar, dumbed down an entire generation of Brits – was on a global mission to promote universal education?
It almost insults our intelligence, and were I on the war path against MPs who voted no or abstained I would be hopping mad!
Shame he didn’t say sorry for not getting it right the first time . . .
How much time has he actually spent in the House of Commons whilst still taking an MP’s salary?
Him and David Miliband . . .
http://www.rainbow-citizen.com
Sounds good, that would have been 401 then ! :)
I think he should resign. No time to do his job as an MP. He made a lousy PM and cost us the election.
I’m glad he didn’t vote. His constituency is in Scotland and I think that it’s ridiculous for Scottish and northern Irish MPs to be voting on English and Welsh issues.
However, how will he vote when it comes to Holyrood? What political ignorance :s
………….he can’t vote at Holyrood. He’s never been a member of the Scottish Parliament.
That was my point heh, just badly written…
As a Scot, it does seem a bit odd that he can vote on things that only effect England and Wales, especially when there is a seperate vote in Scotland. That said, I had thought he had not voted because of his religious beliefs, good to hear that he supports the ssm bill.
By the way, he may not be in parliament much but he works hard for his constituancy in Fife and for many charities in 3rd world countries.
He’s a liar and a bigot.
He did NOT support equal marriage before the last election – he only supported CP Apartheid.
And his shameful history of almost complete abstention on every piece of gay rights legislation speaks volumes.
Gordon Brown is a bigot in sheep’s clothing.
Why is that hasbeen old hack pretending otherwise.
Seriously mate get some perspective here . tebitt , thatcher,Ingham Carey the list is endless of Tory wankers who have brought in discrimatory legislation ,but while as an athiest I disagree completely with religious views being expressed by politicians ,he is hardly the enemy here !
He is son of cleric and macho men, who bullied his employers at the workplace. Here is no need for more explanations, why guy like he is against same-sex marriage. Silly men.
If I was the Govonor, President or Gonovor-General I would sign a gay marriage bill – the very moment it arrives on my desk and also if I was a politician or lawmaker I would vote “YES” to gay marriage – the very monument a vote is called or carried out!
No ifs and no butts!
No more excuses and no more deylays and dilly dallying!
Gordon Brown is a stupid gutless bigoted prick!
Need I say more…
JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED!
He should not be proud about Civil Parnership Bill. I do not know just how many faults there were in it.
One major fault is where if a trans with a CP has gender reassignment it does not change to a marriage of the other way round. That is another need of equal marraige.