SCOTLAND GAY MARRIAGE CLOSER

An overwhelming majority of legislators in Scotland have voted in favour of a bill that would legalise same-sex marriage.

Ninety-eight MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) said “I do” to the new Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Bill on Wednesday. Only 15 voted against it

This was the first of three votes on the legislation, which if passed, will be sent to Queen Elizabeth for her signature.

Speaking to parliament before the vote, openly gay MSP Ruth Davidson said: “I want that right to extend, not just to me, but also to the thousands of people across Scotland who are told that the law says ‘no’.

“I don’t want the next generation of young gay people growing up as I did believing marriage is not for them.” she said.

Davidson described the current status quo in which gays and lesbians can enter into civil partnerships but not get married as an “apartheid message” of “same but different”.

Colin Macfarlane, Director of Stonewall Scotland described the vote as a “historic step forward”.

“We’re absolutely delighted that MSPs have demonstrated overwhelmingly that they’re in touch with the twenty-first century,” he said.

Despite the bill not imposing same-sex marriage on churches and allowing them to choose to “opt in,” it has been rejected by the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church.