Same-Sex Marriage
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was passed in 2013 and came into effect the following year. Introduced by David Cameron’s Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government, the bill allowed same-sex couples to marry and have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Thanks to the joint efforts of the Unitarians, Liberal Jews, and Quakers, the bill allowed same-sex marriages to take place in religious buildings, providing they registered separately for this. Unitarian churches began registering and in 2021, a report by York and Leeds universities showed that Unitarians were leading the way in offering same-sex marriage ceremonies in church. Click here for more information from the report.