Civil partnership battle bound for European Court of Human Rights

Published: 29 January 2010
by PETER GRUNER

ISLINGTON is set to become the battleground in a campaign to give gay and heterosexual couples the same civil partnership rights.
A Holloway couple, civil servants Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, are to take Islington Council to the European courts after being turned down for a civil partnership  – sometimes known as a “gay marriage” – because they are “straight”.
They want a civil partnership because they do not want to be seen to be “colluding with the segregation that exists in matrimonial law between gay civil partnerships and straight civil marriage”.
And next month human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will speak at a major conference on the issue at Newington Green Unitarian Church.
Mr Freeman and Ms Doyle, both 25, want to challenge ­“discriminatory” UK laws which restrict civil partnerships to same-sex couples, who are denied a civil marriage.
The couple, who have been together almost four years, were refused a civil partnership at Islington registry office last November. Now they are searching for other couples to back their stance as they prepare to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Mr Freeman said: “We’re looking for two gay couples and one straight couple who want the ceremonies they are not entitled to by law, and are prepared to join our legal battle, preferably in Islington.
“It’s standard practice to stack the appellants up like this to strengthen the case. We’re hopeful we’ll be able to get the law changed.”
The Unitarian Church has banned full wedding ceremonies until the law is changed to allow gay couples the same religious marriage rights as heterosexual couples.
The conference on Saturday February 27, will explore the issues surrounding civil partnership rights in the UK.
Speakers include Mr Tatchell, Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, and Professor Robert Wintemute, from the School of Law at King’s College London.