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Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2014

04 Feb 2014 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill

Hume, Jim LD South Scotland Watch on SPTV

Fairness and equality run through the veins of every true Liberal Democrat I know. We want Scotland to be one of the fairest and most equal places in the world. That is why we support the bill enabling gay, transgender and lesbian couples to marry. When MSPs met to debate the bill back in November, I was pleased to have the opportunity to vote in favour of the bill and I of course remain supportive of the bill.

The bill demonstrates that our society values every person equally, irrespective of their sexuality, and that we regard every relationship as worthy of equal recognition. If two people in a loving relationship want to formalise that relationship through a religious or civil marriage ceremony, that should be the case. They should not be prevented from doing so. In other words, there should be no differentiation between what is available to same-sex or to mixed-sex couples.

I strongly believe that that sense of fairness and equality also runs deep in the psyche of every Scot. Indeed, that view has been reflected in the emails and letters that I have received over the past few months. Key to the whole debate has been the issue of respect for everyone’s opinions and getting the balance right.

The bill as it stood earlier struck a good balance. It was recognised that, in voting to uphold the intention of the bill to allow for equal marriage, it was also important to respect the rights of individuals and faith organisations not to carry out same-sex marriages if they do not wish to. I believe that the stage 2 amendments acknowledged that balance.

As a Lib Dem and someone who was brought up in a household of good churchgoers—with a mother who broke another mould by becoming the first woman elder in the parish—I believe that it is important to do the right thing. Inequality is a form of oppression and can manifest itself in many forms, some more subtle than others, and to varying degrees. It is true that society has come a long way on gay rights and equality issues, but I do not buy the argument that gay people should be happy with what they have, as though they have already been given some special concession.

The idea that a gay couple should have no legal right to a religious or civil marriage ceremony makes the massive assumption that marriage does not apply to those in a same-sex relationship and that they cannot express their religious view or commitment to marriage. To take that a step further, preventing same-sex couples from marrying is preventing a section of the population from expressing their marriage beliefs, which in my view represents a subtle and creeping oppression.

Back in the 19th century, the businesswoman Anne Lister, whose diaries, which were discovered after her death, revealed much about her private life, said it best when she wrote of her sexuality:

“This is my nature. To act in opposition to my nature would be more wrong for me than to be a married woman. I am living my life with the nature that God gave me. It is perfectly ok”.

As an aside, it is interesting to note that Anne Lister should primarily be remembered for being the so-called “first modern lesbian”. In fact, she is arguably a role model for women and men to this day. She was an independent businesswoman in her own right and became one of the first women to climb the Pyrenees. She lived her life her way, with the nature that God gave her.

We are not giving preferential treatment to any one group; we are simply saying that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, should have the same rights. Anything less is inhumane. I am proud to stand up for equality of marriage in Scotland. There can be no excuse for isolating a section of the population for any reason, whether that is on the basis of religious affiliation, skin colour or gender. For that reason, I will be proud to support the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill through its final stage today, as will, I believe, my fellow Lib Dems.

I should recognise the many constituents who have contacted me and others in support of the bill. We should also recognise the positive campaign, in particular by Stonewall and the Equality Network, throughout the debate. We should of course have respect for other people’s views, in the chamber and outside it.

We should also give recognition to Alex Neil for his determination to bring the bill to the Parliament and for the meetings that he held with me and others to ensure that Scotland can be seen as a leading light for equality. I look forward to voting yes for this historic bill at decision time today.

17:17

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Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2014

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