Condemned for backing anti-heterosexual discrimination
London – 7 December 2012
“David Cameron’s support for the right of religious organisations to conduct same-sex marriages is a welcome affirmation of religious freedom and gay equality,” said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
“The Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Jews want to conduct marriages for their lesbian and gay congregants. It is not a legitimate role of the law to block them.
“Sadly the Prime Minister is still declining to support the right of opposite-sex couples to have a civil partnership if they wish. He plans to maintain the legal ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships. This is anti-heterosexual discrimination.
“Straight couples deserve equality.
“If the Prime Minister truly believes in equality he should end the bans on both same-sex civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships.
“It is wonderful that the government plans to end marriage discrimination against gay couples but it is very wrong for it to deny civil partnership equality to heterosexual couples,” said Mr Tatchell.