Starting yesterday (10 December), same sex couples are now able to convert their civil partnerships into marriages.
The change is the concluding part of a historic process to enable same sex couples to legally marry.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples Bill) was passed on 5 February 2013, following lengthy debates during preceding years. The bill received 400 votes to 175 when it was passed in the House of Commons. The first same sex ceremonies began on 29 March 2014, with the ability to convert pre-existing civil partnerships into marriages representing the last stage on the road to providing equality for same sex couples.
Jo Swinson, Minister for Equalities, said:
“It has been wonderful this year to see same sex couples finally able to celebrate their relationship in the way other couples have done for centuries.
“This has meant a huge amount of personal joy for gay men and women and their families, and has made our society stronger and fairer.”
Much of the original debate around same sex marriage was based upon the implications to religious institution, and the will to protect the tenets of traditional religious belief in the country. For many, marriage, though having a significant impact on a couple’s financial and legal union, is still seen as a predominately religious ceremony.
By allowing the conversion of civil partnerships into marriage, the new legislation is intended to give couples greater freedom, while still providing the religious protections enshrined in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.
Swinson said: “Today we take the final step in implementing this historic legislation, by allowing couples to convert their civil partnership into marriage, if they want to.”
Same sex couples are now able to convert their civil partnership at a local register office or within a ceremony at religious premises that allow same sex marriages to take place.
Once converted, a couple’s marriage certificate will show the marriage start date as the start date of their civil partnership.