UK: Support for Gay Equality Grows

"A revolution in attitudes towards gay men and lesbians: Church out of Touch".

In this month celebrating 40 years since Stonewall, the Times reports this weekend on an important opinion poll showing strong support for further advancing legal protections for LGBT equality.

On marriage, the current situation provides for "Civil Partnerships", which in practice and in legal status are almost identical  to marriage, except in name.    Even so,

"61 per cent of the public want gay couples to be able to marry just like the rest of the population, not just have civil partnerships."

On adoption, the law currently insists on the right of  gay adoption, and directs that adoption agencies should treat all potential parents equally.  This has brought the Catholic Bishops into disputes with the law over the church agencies, but

Half (49 per cent) believe that gay couples should have equal adoption rights, eight years after it became legal for them to adopt in a highly controversial move by Tony Blair.

Some Roman Catholic adoption agencies are fighting to retain the right to turn away gay couples, which they are now specifically prohibited from doing.

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Archive blog: Hanged for being gay, John Attwood Eglerton, 1816

RELATED LINKS

Sizeable minority against gay relationships

Long process of adopting for gay couples

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Graphic: tolerance towards gays

But perhaps the most surprising discovery is that 51 per cent of the public want children to be taught in school that gay relationships are of equal value to marriage.

"Half (49 per cent) believe that gay couples should have equal adoption rights, eight years after it became legal for them to adopt in a highly controversial move by Tony Blair. Some Roman Catholic adoption agencies are fighting to retain the right to turn away gay couples, which they are now specifically prohibited from doing. "

On education:

"But perhaps the most surprising discovery is that 51 per cent of the public want children to be taught in school that gay relationships are of equal value to marriage."

Read the full report at Times Online

(London celebrates Pride on Saturday.   Several faith based groups are expected to participate.  I will be joining them).

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