Quakers welcome decision on civil partnerships

Quakers in Britain welcomed the successful passage of the Equality Bill through the final Commons stage last night. This will mean civil partnerships can be celebrated on some religious premises.

The Bill will provide for an order-making power for registering religious premises for the conduct of civil partnerships in England and Wales. It made clear that nothing in the amendment could compel religious organisations to conduct civil partnerships against their conscience. The government has promised to consult faith groups on how the amendment will work.

Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Judaism had lobbied peers to support the amendment.

Gillian Ashmore, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain said: “This provision in the Equality Bill represents a small but emblematic step towards the goal of full gay equality, supported by Britain Yearly Meeting in summer 2009. This will make many people happy. We look forward to working with a government of whatever political complexion in giving effect to the intention of parliament.”

At their Yearly Meeting in York in 2009, Quakers sought a change in the law so that same sex marriages can be prepared, celebrated, witnessed, reported to the state, and recognised as legally valid, without further process, in the same way as opposite sex marriages are celebrated in Quaker meetings. Quakers consider that they should be able to follow the insights of their membership in celebrating life-long committed relationships between a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, in exactly the same way as they currently recognise the marriage of opposite sex couples.

Quakers already offer religious blessings (meetings for worship for commitment) to couples who have civil partnerships but the Yearly Meeting was clear that they wanted same-sex couples to be able to have a Quaker marriage.

The Equality Bill is set to become law before parliament rises for the General Election.

Ends

Notes to editor:

• For a briefing on the Quaker view on same sex marriage see www.quaker.org.uk/samesexbriefing
• Approximately 25,000 people attend Quaker Meetings for Worship in Great Britain, and there are more than 475 Meetings.
• Quakers are known formally as the Religious Society of Friends.

Media Information

Anne van Staveren
0207 663 1048
07958 009703
annev@quaker.org.uk