We are dedicated to campaigning for equal marriage rights.
Currently, in the UK, marriage is limited to different-sex couples; while same-sex couples
are offered civil partnership. This is not equality. As the history of civil rights
struggles show, separate is not - and never can be - equal
Equal Marriage Rights was founded by Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger, a British same-sex couple who legally married in Canada in 2003. Our marriage has been deemed a civil partnership in Britain. In 2006, with the support of Liberty and OutRage!, we brought a High Court case seeking the validity of our marriage as a marriage. We lost the case. The judge ruled that we ARE discriminated against relative to a heterosexual couple legally married overseas, but he said that this discrimination is justified in order to protect the 'traditional' definition of marriage. He also awarded £25,000 of costs against us. We have been unable to appeal the decision due to lack of funds. This website was originally set up to support our legal case
We remain committed to raising awareness of marriage inequality and to working with other individuals and groups seeking to challenge it - through direct action, legal test cases, and lobbying for legislative change. You will find links on these pages to similar campaigns for marriage equality in Scotland, Ireland and the USA; and also links to key news items relating to this struggle. We welcome any offers of support or help.
|
Watch Sue & Celia's Out4Marriage video |
 |