Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill
Lord Gordon of Strathblane Excerpts
Monday 17th June 2013
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(11 years, 5 months ago)
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Lord Gordon of Strathblane
Will the noble Lord, on reconsideration, delete “lower status” and just say “different status”?
Lord Lester of Herne Hill
No, I will not, because I think all noble Lords in this Chamber regard marriage as the crowning of our relationships. As a man who has been married for 41 years, I certainly do, as do many gay people who are religious, or not religious but who regard marriage as the highest status they can aspire to. Therefore if you call it something less, such as civil partnership or civil union, it has a lesser status—not just a different status but a lesser one.