Don’t marry in old England yet

BY ROB SALERNO – Two days ago, I shared the happy news that the UK was considering legalizing gay marriage, with an announcement expected shortly.

Well, the announcement came, and it’s underwhelming.

First of all, a correction. Responsibility for marriage is a devolved issue, meaning that Parliament’s action on gay marriage would affect only England and Wales. Scotland is considering implementing gay marriage as well, but there’s no report out of Northern Ireland as yet.

Plain old Ireland doesn’t have it on the legislative agenda either, but it is the source of some great marriage equality PSAs, like the one below:

Anyway, the announcement came from 10 Downing St that, thanks to the personal intervention of the UK’s Conservative yet staunchly pro-equality Prime Minister David Cameron, Parliament would enact gay marriage by 2015, pending consultations.

A four-year span for enacting gay marriage is enough of an insult. On top of that, the proposal would bar gay marriages from taking place in religious institutions, even the ones that want to host them (like the Quakers or Anglicans).

Thanks for the nod, Cameron, but this proposal needs a rethink.