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Britain in for a gay old time
04/12/2005 21:41 - (SA)
London - Elton John is tying the knot with filmmaker David Furnish four days before Christmas, when gay civil unions become legal in England.
Fellow pop star George Michael says he'll follow suit next year.
December 21 marks a transformation in social attitudes in Britain, where only 17 years ago, Margaret Thatcher's government enacted "Clause 28" - a law barring local authorities and schools from doing anything that could be seen as promoting homosexuality.
The change has been generally cheered and Britain's two gay meccas, Soho in London and the southern beach resort of Brighton, are competing to be the centre of attention on December 21.
London's Westminster borough, which is run by the same Conservative Party that enacted "Clause 28", is opening its town hall to gay couples early on the big day.
"The British public doesn't oppose people who are in love and want to make long-term commitments to one another," said Ian Buist of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.
'Marriage' has religious connotations
"All but the most stony-hearted people like to see love last."
The Netherlands, Canada, Belgium and Spain have legalised same-sex marriage.
But Prime Minister Tony Blair's centre-left government dropped the word "marriage" from its legislation rather than run afoul of legislators who feel the word has religious connotations.
The law passed last year permits civil ceremonies that will give same-sex couples such benefits as the right to a partner's pensions and exemption from paying inheritance tax on a partner's home.
Germany, France and Switzerland have similar laws. In the United States, Massachusetts alone allows gay marriage, while Vermont and Connecticut permit civil unions.
Today, government ministers such as Ben Bradshaw - in charge of environment and food - are openly gay, the rising stars of the long-stuffy Conservative Party have trendy gay friends, and gay artists like Elton John and actor Ian McKellen - both knighted - are national icons.
The Church of England, the nation's state religion, has ordained a homosexual as a priest and, in 2000, Britain opened its military to gays, although only after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of four homosexual service members who had been dismissed.
But as England and Wales prepare for the first gay civil ceremonies on Dec. 21 - Scotland and Northern Ireland will begin a day earlier.
125 couple book Westminster
A total of 510 same-sex couples have applied to hold their nuptials in Brighton.
In Westminster, 125 gay couples have booked weddings. Elton John will wed Canadian-born Furnish on December 21, while George Michael has announced he will tie the knot with his long-term partner Kenny Goss sometime next year.
"It is a major, major change," Furnish recently told Attitude magazine.
"It is one of the defining issues of our times. And I applaud Britain for embracing the diversity of our society,"
- AP
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