A Belfast court would be hearing the case of the Rainbow
Project, a gay rights organisation in Northern Ireland, against the ban on gay
marriage in the region.
The Rainbow Project pushed the litigation after a gay couple
married in England now living in Northern Ireland, did not have their marriage
lawfully constituted in Northern Ireland. They have taken legal action to have
it recognised as such.
The couple remains anonymous and is represented by the
Rainbow Project.
John O’Doherty, Rainbow Project’s Director, said “We are
very happy to support this important legal challenge. While same-sex marriage
legislation in Westminster had many positive aspects, we believe that its
provision forbidding the recognition of lawful same-sex marriages in Northern
Ireland is irrational, contrary to principles of British constitutional law and
incompatible with the European convention on human rights.
“We are resolute in our assertion that no one can be married
in one part of the United Kingdom and then not married in another. Once a
couple is lawfully married in the UK, we contend that their relationship cannot
be reclassified as a civil partnership without their consent, which is exactly
what the law currently does. The legislation says to lawfully married people
that they are no longer married. This is unconscionable and cannot be permitted
to continue.
“Marriage is a fundamental human right, which is now
recognised in the UK as including same-sex couples. We will work to ensure that
this right is realised for everyone in the United Kingdom and we are confident
that marriage equality will be achieved in Northern Ireland.”
