Law-makers in Scotland today voted in favour of legislation permitting same-sex marriage.
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill was voted into law by a huge majority of 105 to 18, despite a last-ditch effort by MSP John Mason to introduce amendments designed to protect organisations and individuals with a strong Christian ethos from any legal jeopardy should they make a principled objection to same-sex marriages or working with same-sex couples.
Mr Mason, the MSP for Shettleston in Glasgow, is one of a very small number of Scottish Nationalist Party members to question the new legislation. Among Mr Mason’s proposed amendments to the bill was a clause which guaranteed that no public sector employee would suffer any “detriment” if he or she believed that marriage was exclusively a union between one man and one woman.
Under the new legislation, Churches will be able to "opt in" to perform same-sex marriages but government ministers stressed that they would not be forced to hold same-sex wedding ceremonies.
The first gay and lesbian weddings could take place as soon as this autumn.
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