Same sex marriage row

30 June 2005

COUNCILLORS may face legal action and public demonstrations over their 'mean spirited' refusal to allow same-sex couples to hold marriage ceremonies.

London mayor Ken Livingstone, who has led initiatives to stamp out homophobic bullying in schools, wrote to council leader Stephen Carr last week urging him to re-think Bromley's position, or face a legal challenge.

He said: "As Bromley allows marriage ceremonies between men and women as a matter of course, I believe they are discriminatory when they refuse to allow same sex couples to hold ceremonies.

"It is extraordinary that a London council should be so mean spirited as to deny couples such a ceremony on what should be one of the happiest days of their lives."

Mr Carr and several members of Bromley's ruling Conservative executive have publicly stated they believe that gay marriage 'undermines family values'.

However, Mr Livingstone branded their stance as 'clearly based on bigotry' and said he had instructed lawyers to investigate a legal challenge.

He has also urged parliamentary leader Michael Howard MP to intervene in the row in order to stave off the threat of legal action.

The mayor's stance has encouraged lesbians, gays and their supporters from across the capital to hold a protest march through the borough on July 30 after which they will hand a petition to the civic centre.

Co-organiser Gino Meriano told website gay.com: "We have to raise the profile of this, it is based on bigotry. We had to offer some support.

"It's about couples having full choice," he added. "The ultimate goal would be for them [Bromley council] to say they would offer ceremonies".

However, a proportion of Conservatives are opposed to relaxing the ban, which was agreed in March and is due to be reviewed in October.

Councillor Colin Bloom told the Bromley Times: "I am certainly comfortable with the stance the council has taken and I would oppose any moves to change it.

"I think same sex marriage undermines family values and is fundamentally wrong. Society is strongest when we have strong families and I don't want anything that will undermine that."

The council's current position is that, in fact, no decision has been made on whether same sex ceremonies will be allowed.

A spokesman said: "A meeting on March 23 resolved that demand for partnership ceremonies be monitored and a further report brought back to the Portfolio Holder in January 2006.

"Bromley council considers it vitally important to encourage traditional marriage.

"For this reason the portfolio holder did not commit to authorising partnership ceremonies; he held the matter open and no decision on whether the council will offer partnership ceremonies has yet been made.