Hotels and register offices to turn away 'pink weddings' (The Independent)

[Anarcho-Socialist]

Gay and lesbian couples will soon gain official recognition, but it won't stop discrimination

By Steve Bloomfield and Sophie Goodchild
Published: 17 July 2005

Hundreds of hotels, banqueting halls and even some register offices are to defy the introduction of same-sex partnership laws by banning "gay weddings". More than a third of the venues currently used for marriage parties will refuse to let gay and lesbian couples celebrate civil partnerships when these become law later this year, according to the country's leading firm of gay wedding planners.

The scale of the opposition has infuriated equality campaigners, who have welcomed civil partnerships - the first official recognition for same-sex couples. It has also been condemned by the equality minister, Meg Munn.The Stonewall campaign group has appointed Bindmans, a leading law firm, to bring legal challenges against venues that refuse to host same-sex ceremonies. They may also face boycotts. Under the new legislation, gay and lesbian couples will be able to make a legal commitment giving them the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples, including pension rights and next-of-kin status.

(snip)

Britain's 174 register offices are meeting this week to address the issue. Richard Edwards, spokesman for the Association of Register and Celebratory Services, said the majority of offices have not been able to give gay couples clear information on whether ceremonies would be allowed. The decision on allowing ceremonies is made by councillors, not the register office itself. The leader of Conservative-run Bromley council in south London, Stephen Carr, said: "It cannot be a marriage because a marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe that undermining family values is dangerous."

Ms Munn, minister for women and equality, called the opposition "extremely unfortunate". Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said: "We are desperately disappointed that civil partnerships may be overshadowed by this prejudice. The Government could easily have solved the problem by amending the new protections for religious communities in the Equality Bill with similar protection for gay people." He added that thousands of people, straight and gay, were likely to boycott hotels and venues that refused to host civil partnership ceremonies. "These sorts of incidents show that homophobia is still alive and well," he said.

Full story: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article299632.ece

[non sociopath skin]

1. I imagine that this "principled stand" will continue untl they realise ...

... that "pink" money is as good as any other and that their open-minded rivals are getting it all!

What did she used to say? "You can't buck the market" ....

The Skin

[Anarcho-Socialist]

2. I was thinking the same thing

There are many affluent gay people who will go to other places that will happily take their money.

[cheeseit]

3. Indeed. Reminds me of that Simpsons episode--

--where Homer finds out that he can make hundreds of dollars by marrying gay people turned away by the church, so he runs home to set up his own wedding chapel- after throwing his "Death before gay marriage" placard in the bin...