The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was introduced into Parliament and had its first reading on 24 January. The Bill was published on the 25th of January. This is an important step towards same-sex couples being able to marry in England and Wales, and follows the publication of the Government’s proposals on 11 December which made clear its commitment to introducing this legislation.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill will:
· enable same-sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies;
· ensure those religious organisations that wish to do so can opt in to conduct marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples;
· protect those religious organisations that do not wish to marry same-sex couples from successful legal challenge;
· enable civil partners to convert their partnership to a marriage, if they wish; and
· enable individuals to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage.