Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2014

04 Feb 2014 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill

Biagi, Marco SNP Edinburgh Central Watch on SPTV

Presiding Officer,

“I am a migrant with a German passport who was born in a former Soviet country. I want to stay because I learned that Scotland is a place where race and origin matters less than where I came from. This is the most wonderful place I want to live in. This is the society I want to contribute to. Please extend this liberty to other people who face discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.”

Valeri, from Fountainbridge.

“As a member of the Quaker community I find it unacceptable that we are unable to have our registrars conduct same-sex marriages or civil partnerships within our meeting houses.”

Anthony, from the old town.

“I have been with my wife for eight years and we became civil partners five years ago. I usually use the terms ‘wife’ and ‘marriage’ when describing my relationship as to me they describe perfectly the nature of our relationship, however, I am painfully aware that in the eyes of Scottish and UK law those terms are not applicable and we are left with the term civil partners, a term that makes us sound as if we are in business together as opposed to a loving monogamous relationship.”

Angela, from Haymarket.

“I remember as a little girl asking my mother why two ladies couldn’t marry each other and her struggling to answer. As I grew up I began to understand it was not for any logical reason but just that some of our rules are unfair but we don’t like to change things that have always been that way.”

Annie, from Dalry.

“When I came out as gay in my later teens clause 28 was still in law. Homosexuality was never mentioned at school, at least not in a positive context, making growing up gay isolating and often painful. But I do think about the young people growing up gay today and what a difference it would make to their self-esteem and confidence to know that they are equal in the face of the law and could get married, perhaps just as their parents did or their heterosexual friends may do. Without equality in the face of the law how can these kids grow up feeling equal?”

David, from the new town.

“My other role model for a successful loving relationship is that of my best friend’s parents. His father had a sex change about 30 years ago, and my friend grew up knowing her as his aunt. They are still married, and have been for almost as long as my own parents. I count them as close friends today, but growing up they were my second set of parents.

Because of the current unequal laws on marriage she’s never been formally recognised as a woman. They couldn’t face the divorce which would be required under the current laws. Forced to choose between state recognition of gender, or their marriage, they chose the latter. She has lived for 30 years with a physical identity at odds with her legal one.”

Patrick, from Fountainbridge.

“I ‘came out’ at the age of 15, just over ten years ago now, to a fairly rough school in Edinburgh. I was surprised to find that I was met with relatively little negativity from my peers, and nothing but support from my teachers. My mother took the revelation rather badly. She had an image of gay people, one that she presumed meant I would be bullied all of my life; that I’d never have a ‘normal’ loving partner to grow old with; that I’d never have children. She was convinced it was her fault—that she’d consigned me to a fate of certain pain. Yes, bullying will inevitably continue. But let’s not fan that fire by keeping equal people on different sides of a barrier. So please, let’s not look on this as a matter of ‘just’ words and definitions. Words and definitions go a long way to moulding attitudes and challenging prejudices.”

Adam, from Gorgie.

In November 2013, at stage 1 of the bill, I told my own story. On this historic day, I wanted to throw open the doors of this chamber to let in the voices of just some of the 429 constituents who have been moved to ask me to vote yes today. I never needed persuading.

I hear one last voice today:

“We give you our deepest dearest wish to govern well, don’t say we have no mandate to be so bold.

We give you this great building, don’t let your work and hope be other than great”.

That was Edwin Morgan. Wherever he is, today he is smiling.

16:39

Search Hansard contributions

Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2014

In the same item of business