It's not just in the United States that marriage equality is making
leaps and bounds, it's taking off on the international stage as well
with Mexico, Great Britain, and New Zealand
all legalizing gay marriage in the past year. Scotland, having been
accused of letting their own equality legislation slip behind schedule,
have now decided to fast-track the legalization of gay marriage.
The Catholic church has, naturally, expressed their distaste, with spokesman John Deighan saying,
You can only see this as undue haste. It looks like a bandwagon that no-one has been minded to take in the right direction. They ought to remember that if you make law in haste you do not get the best legislation.
Despite the finger-wagging, consideration of the bill to legalize gay
marriage will begin next Thursday with two sessions representing each
side of the issue. The first will have members from Stonewall Scotland,
LGBT Youth Scotland, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the
Equality Network, and the Scottish Transgender Alliance. The second, the
Muslim Council of Scotland, the Methodist Church in Britain, Scottish
Catholic Parliamentary Office, and the Evangelical Alliance Scotland.
Though dissenters are being allowed their voice, it would seem they are in the minority. A Scottish Government spokesman said,
The Bill is proceeding on schedule with wide cross-party support. The Scottish Government is committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal and that is why we believe same-sex couples who wish should be allowed to marry as soon as possible.
If the bill is approved, it is projected to have Royal Assent for legislation by March.
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