No going back on huge equality step of equal marriage - Lorna Slater

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna SlaterScottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater
It is 10 years since the Marriage and Civil Partnership Act came into law, allowing same sex couples to marry for the first time in Scotland.

This hugely important step was one that spread great joy across our country, with couples in Edinburgh and beyond finally being able to celebrate their love in the way they wanted to.

My Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie had the pleasure of being a witness at the very first wedding to take place on 31 December 2014 and fondly remembers it for the beautiful day it was.

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The introduction of equal marriage was a long overdue and a powerful step in the right direction for our country. Generations of LGBTQ people and their allies had fought, worked and campaigned for the right to be considered equal in marriage, and our MSPs had overwhelmingly delivered it.

​Equal marriage was passed into law a decade ago​Equal marriage was passed into law a decade ago
​Equal marriage was passed into law a decade ago

The vote had taken place earlier that year. It was a celebration of what Scotland believed in, and one of the proudest achievements of devolution. It was a sign of how far we had come as a country and a profound signal to young LGBTQ people and to the world that our parliament and our country believed in equality, fairness and standing up for the unfairly stigmatised in our society.

MSPs from all parties had backed it, including all party leaders. This would have been unthinkable even 10 years prior, and it spoke volumes about the journey that Scotland had been on.

In the years since the vote over 10,000 couples have gone on to marry and to mark their love for one another in the way they wanted to.

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Yet, for every couple who got to celebrate there are many more who were unable to, who lived and, in some cases, died together without the chance to mark their love in the way they wanted to and who were told that their relationships and wellbeing were less valid because of who they were and who they loved.

We owe it to them to ensure we build a more equal and accepting society. For many, the passing of this Bill felt like a signal that Scotland was moving in one direction only: towards greater equality.

Yet, over the last few years there has been a noticeable regression; with a reactionary and dangerous culture war being waged against LGBTQ people, particularly trans people. We must not go backwards and must ensure that we will live up to the aspirations and values that were so present 10 years ago.

Just as we overcame the prejudices of the past, I am confident that we can and will succeed again. Everyone should have the right to live happily and freely as the people they really are and with the people they love.

Lorna Slater is Scottish Green Party co-leader

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