The first homosexual wedding ceremonies in Great Britain will begin in September in London and will be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. However, the freedom to marry a person of one's own sex is available only to Londoners, so "wedding tourism" should not be expected yet.
Gays and lesbians will be able to legitimize their relationships in a special registration department created under the patronage of the city hall. For $120, the couple will undergo a "real" ceremony, which can be attended by up to 25 guests, and will also receive certificates confirming the official registration of their relationship. Marriage certificates will have legal force, but information about their recipients will be confidential.
However, from a legal point of view, a same-sex marriage will differ greatly from an ordinary one. Dissolving such a union will be quite simple, without extra paperwork and litigation, and homosexuals will not receive marital rights either. Nevertheless, activists for the rights of sexual minorities consider the decision of the London authorities a major breakthrough in the attitude towards gays as full members of society. The registration certificate will serve as proof of cohabitation, which may be useful, for example, when resolving issues of inheritance and rent.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone promised to allow gays to marry during his election campaign in spring 2000. According to the BBC, over the course of a year, relevant research was conducted in the British capital and, according to Livingstone, it showed the need to register same-sex relationships.
True, it can be said with confidence that the initiative of the London authorities is unlikely to find a response among British parliamentarians. The fact is that the overwhelming majority in parliament belongs to Labour, and the London mayor is one of the main opponents of the leader of this party, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. So, until at least the next election in 2006, only London will register marriages of British gays and lesbians.
In several countries around the world – the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and more recently the United States – gays can also register their relationships. The first to decide to "marry" its gays was Denmark – a homosexual family appeared there back in 1989. However, same-sex spouses are granted full family rights only in the Netherlands.