Eight British couples who are challenging the UK's ban on gay marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships at the European Court of Human Rights have postponed their legal challenge to next month.
The group, called Equal Love, want the court in Strasbourg to extend the rights of gay couples to full marriage, and also argue that heterosexual couples should be entitled to form civil partnerships if they choose to do so.
The delay is down to a problem with the paperwork needed to prove that the couples had all been refused a marriage or civil service licence. Four of the couples, who are heterosexual, have been denied civil partnerships while the other four same-sex couples have had marriage license applications refused.
Each group, who will claim discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, wants the rights the other group enjoys, and insists the government has an obligation to consistency.
Since their introduction in 2005, more than 40,000 same-sex couples have entered into civil partnerships, which recognise their relationships in civil law and give them nearly the same legal rights as married couples, but some campaigners believe the arrangement still lacks the ‘status’ of marriage.
For more information on civil partnerships please contact James Haworth on 0116 212 1080 today.
The group, called Equal Love, want the court in Strasbourg to extend the rights of gay couples to full marriage, and also argue that heterosexual couples should be entitled to form civil partnerships if they choose to do so.
The delay is down to a problem with the paperwork needed to prove that the couples had all been refused a marriage or civil service licence. Four of the couples, who are heterosexual, have been denied civil partnerships while the other four same-sex couples have had marriage license applications refused.
Each group, who will claim discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, wants the rights the other group enjoys, and insists the government has an obligation to consistency.
Since their introduction in 2005, more than 40,000 same-sex couples have entered into civil partnerships, which recognise their relationships in civil law and give them nearly the same legal rights as married couples, but some campaigners believe the arrangement still lacks the ‘status’ of marriage.
For more information on civil partnerships please contact James Haworth on 0116 212 1080 today.
