Scotland: By large majority MSPs vote to move forward gay-marriage bill

Measure garnered 98 supporters, while 15 lawmakers voted against it

By a vote of 98 to 15, with five abstaining, members of the Scottish Parliament threw their support behind gay-marriage legislation, The Scotsman reports.

The measure is now expected to move to a second vote, with a possible third vote following in 2014, Pink News says.

Alex Neil, health secretary in the ruling Scottish National Party, reiterated his stance that the measure ensures that Scotland will further promote equality, even as it respects the viewpoint of those who oppose gay marriage.

According to a Daily Record report, the bill includes what is described as an opt-in clause for religious groups that want to perform same-sex ceremonies, a feature similar to that contained in the gay-marriage bill passed in England and Wales in July. Further, even if a religous group decides to opt in, there are safeguards for celebrants within that group should they express opposition to conducting gay couples’ ceremonies. Other MSPs, including the Scottish Labour Party’s Elaine Smith and the SNP’s John Mason, do not believe the protections adequately protect religious and free-speech rights.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose