Same-sex marriage shelfed as Northern Ireland talks fail

Talks between Northern Ireland’s two leading political parties have failed once-again with the issue of same-sex marriage becoming an unfortunate causality. Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is illegal. The area has been without a government since January 2017 as battling parties Sinn Fein and the DUP have yet to reach a power sharing deal. This leaves the issue of equal marriage in a state of limbo. LGBT+ campaigners in the region have directly asked the British government to intervene, but such intervention has yet to materialise.

The Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has grown frustrated with the process, saying that “some people” need to “step into the light of 2018 in terms of same-sex marriage.”

Labour MP Ged Killen has pushed for the UK government to take action, writing a letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: “Shortly before your appointment I raised issue of the recognition of same sex marriages in Northern Ireland with your predecessor at Northern Ireland questions. In my question, I asked the Government whether it would consider amending the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 to allow same sex marriages conducted in the rest of the UK to be recognized in Northern Ireland.

“Same sex marriages are a hard fought and hard won right for the LGBT community in the UK. However, under the current legislation this right is not recognized in Northern Ireland.

“However, the Government could act to ensure that UK citizens do not have their rights to a recognized marriage removed simply because they choose to settle in another part of the country.”

Tim Gibson - myGwork

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