The Australian Capital Territory, ACT, have been forced by the federal Attorney General to tone down their gay wedding legislation, thanks to the right wing Christian pressure groups. A legal marriage or wedding ceremony can only be enacted by couples of different sex, just as in other countries.

They had originally planned to set up legally recognised ceremonies for gay weddings but now it can only have a non-legal ceremony, like the civil partnership in the UK but it does give couples more rights.

The ACT has been quite progressive in its attitude to same sex partners since 1994 when it passed the  Domestic Relationships Act giving gay couples inheritance and alimony rights.

At the same time, the Federal Government is about to overhaul some one hundred laws to give gay and lesbian couples equal rights as enjoyed by hetties.

How this will sit with some of the States that still do not recognise same sex partnerships is not known.

Given that the gay community is still split on whether they want the right to ‘marry’ in an official ceremony or are happy enough with a civil partnership because we’re different, means that the nasty right wing christians can divide and conquer so to speak.

The ball’s in our court.

Posted on May 12