A civil partnership already gives same-sex couples legal equality with heterosexual married couples on child maintenance, life assurance, immigration rights, inheritance, state and private pensions , although there are slight differences with pensions.
The main differences between a civil partnership and gay marriage are:
- With one you become a married couple and the other you are civil partners.
- They are defined under separate legal regimes – Civil Partnership Act 2004 versus Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 and older marriage legislation.
- Only gay couples can enter into a civil partnership.
- A civil partnership can be converted into a marriage.
- A marriage is formed by saying some specific words and in a civil partnership no words are required; the couple only need to sign the civil partnership document.
- A same-sex marriage can be part of a religious ceremony where this is allowed by a particular religion.
- A marriage can be dissolved if either couple is suffering from an STD (sexually transmitted disease) at the time of the ceremony.
- Finally, adultery is grounds for a divorce in a marriage, but that is not something that can be cited as grounds for ending a civil partnership.
That’s it!
Note: This article applies to England and Wales.
How do I convert my Civil Partnership to a Marriage?
This will be possible from 10th December this year at your local registry office in England and Wales. There will be a small fee to pay and it can be low key or a good excuse for a party.
Do people still have civil partnerships? Why would they?
Yes, it’s still possible for same-sex a couple to form a civil partnership. As you can see the legal status is the same. Some are campaigning for civil partnerships to be made available to straight couples, which would provide true equality. The main arguments for this are that marriage is seen as a sexist and homophobic institution, whereas civil partnership is more modern without a chequered past.
I thought that Civil Partnerships were not recognised in as many countries as same-sex marriages.
That’s correct – if that is a consideration for you then you need to check with the country that you are planning to move to, for example.