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30,000 on anti-gay wedding petition

17:25, Sep 18 2012

 

An online petition opposing plans to legalise same-sex marriage has attracted around 30,000 signatures, campaigners have said.

The Scottish Government announced in July that it proposes bringing in legislation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Ministers declared that it is the "right thing to do" and the move received backing from equality campaigners and cross-party support at Holyrood.

But the controversial plan is vigorously opposed in other quarters such as the Catholic Church and many other religious leaders.

The petition was set up by Scotland For Marriage, an umbrella group formed to fight changes to marriage laws. It said the number of people who have signed its petition has now passed the 30,000 mark, as it vowed to redouble efforts to block the legislation.

A spokesman said: "The Scottish Government has angered the public by ignoring them and pressing on with plans to meddle with marriage. No wonder our petition has now climbed above 30,000 since the Government said it will snub the results of its own public consultation.

"The politicians should be very aware. This issue isn't going away. The public isn't going away. We're not going away. Our campaign is going from strength to strength as the implications of redefining marriage on everyday lives becomes more widely understood."

The petition says that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and offers "the best environment for raising children" and that same-sex couples already have full legal rights through civil partnerships.

The Equality Network, the equality charity that campaigns for same-sex marriage, said a clear majority of people in Scotland supports equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Policy co-ordinator Tom French said: "All the opinion polls show that a two-thirds majority of Scots support equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. In a modern, progressive country like Scotland, most fair-minded people agree that same-sex couples are entitled to equal treatment."

 

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