With the queen's approval -- a formality in the UK -- the first same-sex wedding could be held as early as next summer.
The Marriage Bill, as it
was known, had the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, but his
commitment has put him at odds with many in his Conservative Party and
its grass-roots supporters. The Conservatives govern in coalition with
the Liberal Democrats.
"The title of this bill
might be marriage but its fabric is about freedom and respect," Culture
Secretary Maria Miller said shortly after the bill's passage.
She said the passage of
the bill was "clear affirmation that as a nation respect for each and
every person is paramount regardless of age, religion, gender, ethnicity
or sexuality."
Opposition Labour Party
lawmakers helped the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill stay on track when
Conservative rebels backed an amendment that might have derailed it at
an earlier stage in the Commons.
On Monday, Lord Alli said he was proud as a gay man serving in the House of Lords to have seen it pass the bill.
"My life and the lives of many others will be better today than they were yesterday," he said.
But an opponent of the
bill, Lord Framlingham, said that while the legislation would make many
people very happy, the House of Lords should "give some consideration to
a much larger number of people, running into millions, whose lives will
be less happy and whose concerns and problems will be increased by this
legislation."
He said the House of
Lords had been used to "to bulldoze through an ill-thought-through bill,
the ramifications of which the people have not begun to understand."
Coalition for Marriage,
an umbrella group of UK people and organizations that support
traditional marriage between a man and a woman, has collected more than
650,000 signatures on a petition opposing any attempt to redefine it.
The Church of England is among the religious bodies opposed to the new legislation.
Stonewall, a gay rights campaign group, welcomed the bill's passage through the Lords on Monday.
"It's impossible to
express how much joy this historic step will bring to tens of thousands
of gay people and their families and friends," Chief Executive Ben
Summerskill said in an online statement.
"The bill's progress
through Parliament shows that, at last, the majority of politicians in
both Houses understand the public's support for equality, though it's
also reminded us that gay people still have powerful opponents."
He said Stonewall would
now redouble its efforts in Scotland "so that every single gay person in
Britain will soon enjoy full equality."
A law recognizing civil partnerships in England and Wales was passed in 2004.
The issue of same-sex marriage has also divided other nations.
A law that allows
same-sex couples to marry and adopt was passed by France this year,
despite large street protests and vocal opposition from religious
groups. The move made it the ninth country in Europe to allow same-sex
marriage.
In the United States,
two landmark rulings by the Supreme Court last month gave the gay and
lesbian rights movement huge political and legal momentum.
The justices said
legally married same-sex couples will now enjoy the same federal
benefits as heterosexual couples, striking down a key provision in the
Defense of Marriage Act.
And although not
granting a sweeping right of gays and lesbians to marry nationwide, a
separate high court ruling effectively allows same-sex marriage to
resume in California, the nation's most populous state.
source: CNN
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