"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.
MULTIMEDIA
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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Related articles
- Equality and inclusion advancing, worldwide. (Queering the Church)
- UK Queer Christians Support Marriage Equality Campaign. (Queering the Church)
- The Roman Catholic Church indulges in moral relativism on civil unions (Pink Banana World)
- Straight Couple Denied Civil Partnership (Gay Rights Change)
- Straight Couples Fight For Right To Domestic Partnerships [Rights And Rites] (Jezebel)
- Straight British couple seeks 'gay' partnership (The Himalayan Times)
- Watch: Third Couple Challenges Ban on Gay Marriage in the UK (Towleroad)
- Straight couple don't want 'patriarchal' marriage (Pink Banana World)
- Will you ?Civil-Partnership? Me? (Pink Banana World)
