UK scheme to help formalise same-sex relationships
The London Partnership Register was a scheme to help formalise same-sex relationships set up in 2001 by Ken Livingstone, then Mayor of London, a little over 4 years before the first legally recognised same-sex unions in the United Kingdom (known as "civil partnerships") were introduced by the Civil Partnership Act 2004. In that time, just under 1,000 couples had signed the register, some of whom were among the first to become civil partners on 21 December 2005, the first day that was possible in England and Wales.
London's City Hall, near Tower Bridge, where most couples celebrated their relationships by signing the London Partnership Register.
The London Partnership Register was launched on 5 September 2001[1] by Ken Livingstone, then Mayor of London, working with Angela Mason,[2] his advisor on LGBT issues and at the time director of Stonewall.[3] Setting up a same-sex registration scheme had been suggested by gay Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson during the first Mayor's Question Time in 2000.[4] The new scheme was announced shortly before Mardi Gras 2001, London's LGBT pride celebrations.[5]
Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples were eligible to register, as long as at least one partner was a resident of Greater London.[6] For the first year, partnerships were registered at the Greater London Authority (GLA) headquarters in Westminster,[7] and moved one year later to its new building in City Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge on 5 September 2002.[8] Couples could have up to 25 guests attend a brief ceremony, and received a certificate confirming registration.[9] The register was funded by an £85 fee.[5][10] For confidentiality, the register was not made publicly available.[5]
Like similar schemes in many US cities,[11] the register did not confer legal recognition equivalent to marriage,[9][5] but it was hoped that courts might voluntarily accept registration as evidence in disputes involving tenancy, immigration, or pensions.[7][9] For the launch, Livingstone wrote in the Pink Paper: "The London Partnerships Register is a step on the road to equality. I hope other cities will follow suit and that other organisations will accept it as proof of a relationship."[9]
By late 2004, over 800 couples had signed the register, of which two-thirds were male–male couples, over a quarter were female–female couples and 3% were mixed-gender.[12] The GLA did not keep records as to whether any registrants were transgender.[12] Within the first 2 years of operation, 17 of the 602 registrants had separated and asked for their names to be removed from the register.[1][note 1] Likewise, in the first year of operation 5 of the 314 partnerships had separated, a ratio almost identical to that of first-year divorce among mixed-gender couples.[1][14]
Other British cities such as Brighton[8] announced their intent to follow London's lead, with both Liverpool and Manchester setting up their own registers within two years of London.[1] The London Partnership Register closed after the Civil Partnership Act 2004 was passed.[15] By 15 December 2005, 998 couples had registered their commitment under the scheme.[15] On 21 December 2005, actor Ian Burford and nursing manager Alex Cannell,[10][16] the first couple to sign the register in 2001,[17] were also among the hundreds of same-sex couples to register their civil partnerships on 21 December 2005, the first day that was possible in England and Wales.[16]
↑ Barry Crown (January 2004). "Civil Partnership in the U.K. – Some International Problems". New York Law School Law Review. 48 (4): 697–710. At the other extreme, there are registration schemes such as the London Partnership Register, which are found in many U.S. cities, but confer few, if any, legal rights and are of little more than symbolic value.
A civil union is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage.
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. As of 2024, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 36 countries, with a total population of 1.3 billion people. The most recent country to legalise same-sex marriage is Greece.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriage was passed in the House of Representatives by 109 votes to 33 on 12 September 2000 and by the Senate by 49 votes to 26 on 19 December 2000. The law received royal assent by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on 21 December 2000 and took effect on 1 April 2001. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced by the Labour government, which grants civil partnerships in the United Kingdom the rights and responsibilities very similar to those in civil marriage. Initially the Act permitted only same-sex couples to form civil partnerships. This was altered to include opposite-sex couples in 2019. Civil partners are entitled to the same property rights as married couples, the same exemption as married couples regarding social security and pension benefits, and also the ability to exercise parental responsibility for a partner's children, as well as responsibility for reasonable maintenance of one's partner and their children, tenancy rights, full life insurance recognition, next-of-kin rights in hospitals, and others. There is a formal process for dissolving civil partnerships, akin to divorce.
Civil partnership in the United Kingdom is a form of civil union between couples open to both same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples. It was introduced via the Civil Partnership Act 2004 by the Labour government. The Act initially permitted only same-sex couples to form civil partnerships, but the law was expanded to include opposite-sex couples in 2019.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 16 November 2015. A referendum on 22 May 2015 amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that marriage is recognised irrespective of the sex of the partners. The measure was signed into law by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, as the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland on 29 August 2015. The Marriage Act 2015, passed by the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015 and signed into law by the Presidential Commission on 29 October 2015, gave legislative effect to the amendment. Same-sex marriages in Ireland began being recognised from 16 November 2015, and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland occurred the following day. Ireland was the eighteenth country in the world and the eleventh in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since the Civil Union Act, 2006 came into force on 30 November 2006. The decision of the Constitutional Court in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie on 1 December 2005 extended the common-law definition of marriage to include same-sex spouses—as the Constitution of South Africa guarantees equal protection before the law to all citizens regardless of sexual orientation—and gave Parliament one year to rectify the inequality in the marriage statutes. On 14 November 2006, the National Assembly passed a law allowing same-sex couples to legally solemnise their union 229 to 41, which was subsequently approved by the National Council of Provinces on 28 November in a 36 to 11 vote, and the law came into effect two days later.
Same-sex marriages are not performed in Aruba, Curaçao, or Sint Maarten, which are constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands were obliged after several court rulings to register any marriage registered in the Kingdom, but this primarily considers residency rights, and they do not have to give same-sex marriages the same legal effect as opposite-sex marriages. Marriage in the European territory of the Netherlands, as well as in the Caribbean municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, is open to any two people irrespective of sex.
Axel Axgil and Eigil Axgil were Danish gay activists and a longtime couple. They were the first gay couple in the world to enter into a registered partnership following Denmark's legalisation of same-sex partnership registration in 1989, a landmark legislation which they brought about. They adopted the surname, Axgil, a combination of their given names, as an expression of their commitment.
The legal status of same-sex marriage has changed in recent years in numerous jurisdictions around the world. The current trends and consensus of political authorities and religions throughout the world are summarized in this article.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia since 9 December 2017. Legislation to allow it, the Marriage Amendment Act 2017, passed the Australian Parliament on 7 December 2017 and received royal assent from Governor-General Peter Cosgrove the following day. The law came into effect on 9 December, immediately recognising overseas same-sex marriages. The first same-sex wedding under Australian law was held on 15 December 2017. The passage of the law followed a voluntary postal survey of all Australians, in which 61.6% of respondents supported legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Same-sex marriage between citizens became legal in Taiwan on 24 May 2019, making it the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Marriages between Taiwanese and foreign citizens were initially restricted to citizens of countries that also recognized same-sex marriage. That limitation was rescinded on 19 January 2023. The one remaining exception is citizens of the People's Republic of China — mainland China — because cross-straits marriages must be registered in mainland China before they can apply in Taiwan.
Same-sex marriage is not legal in Israel, but the government has recognized same-sex marriages performed abroad since 2006. Prior to 2022, marriages performed in Israel were only valid when registered with one of the 15 religious marriage courts recognized by the state, none of which permit same-sex marriage. Consequently, Israeli same-sex couples who wished to have their marriages recognized by the government first had to marry outside Israel, in a jurisdiction where such marriages are legal, and then register upon returning home.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Republic of China (Taiwan) are regarded as the most comprehensive of those in Asia. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal, and same-sex marriage was legalized on 24 May 2019, following a Constitutional Court ruling in May 2017. Same-sex couples are able to jointly adopt children since 2023. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender characteristics in education has been banned nationwide since 2004. With regard to employment, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has also been prohibited by law since 2007.
The extension of civil marriage, union, and domestic partnership rights to same-sex couples in various jurisdictions can raise legal issues upon dissolution of these unions that are not experienced by opposite-sex couples, especially if law of their residence or nationality does not have same-sex marriage or partnerships.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Scotland are generally in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, which have evolved extensively over time and are now regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe. In both 2015 and 2016, Scotland was recognised as the "best country in Europe for LGBTI legal equality".
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Hong Kong may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents.
Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as same-sex civil unions. Currently 33 of the 50 countries and the 8 dependent territories in Europe recognise some type of same-sex union, among them most members of the European Union (24/27). Nearly 43% of the European population lives in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriage, civil unions or any other form of legal union for same-sex couples. On 21 February 2023, an appellate court ruled that government health insurance should offer spousal coverage to same-sex couples, the "first legal recognition of social benefits for same-sex couples" in South Korea.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Crown dependency of Jersey have evolved significantly since the early 1990s. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1990. Since then, LGBT people have been given many more rights equal to that of heterosexuals, such as an equal age of consent (2006), the right to change legal gender for transgender people (2010), the right to enter into civil partnerships (2012), the right to adopt children (2012) and very broad anti-discrimination and legal protections on the basis of "sexual orientation, gender reassignment and intersex status" (2015). Jersey is the only British territory that explicitly includes "intersex status" within anti-discrimination laws. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Jersey since 1 July 2018.
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