Scottish Government to fast-track same-sex marriage legislation

The Scottish Government will fast-track through Holyrood its same-sex marriage legislation so that it is signed into law by March, reports today have indicated. The legislative process, which a Government spokesperson insisted is “proceeding on schedule”, includes evidence sessions at which a broad range of religious and non-religious organisations will advise on the proposals.

In May this year, the Scottish Government was pressed by Scottish Labour to introduce its same-sex marriage bill sooner. It was finally introduced in June, shortly before the Scottish Parliament’s Summer recess, and will go before the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee from next Thursday.

Oral evidence will be accepted from at least nine organisations on Thursday alone, as the Committee intends to take advantage of double-evidence sessions to ensure the bill is properly scrutinised despite the expedited time-scale. These organisations have been identified as the following:

Stonewall Scotland LGBT Youth Scotland Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Equality Network Scottish Transgender Alliance Muslim Council of Scotland Methodist Church in Britain Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office Evangelical Alliance Scotland

Some of these organisations have already made publicly available their written submissions to the Committee, all of which will become available from the Scottish Parliament website from 16 September. The submissions vary wildly from broadly supportive to decisively opposed.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance’s contribution, for instance, expresses positivity towards the principle of legislating for same-sex marriage, but proposes specific amendments to the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill so as to protect and empower Scotland’s trans community.

One MSP on the Committee, the SNP’s John Mason, has backed the Scotland for Marriage campaign against same-sex marriage. Mason spoke to the Scottish Catholic Observer after the campaign signed up its 50,000th supporter and said he was “far from convinced” that “protections […] for celebrants, denominations, public sector workers, third sector volunteers and others who do not agree with same-sex marriage […] are actually deliverable”.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government, however, reiterated a commitment to “a Scotland that is fair and equal” and explained “that is why we believe same-sex couples who wish should be allowed to marry as soon as possible”.