Nick Clegg on Equal Marriage and Pride in London
Originally published by LGBT+ Liberal Democrats
Nick Clegg speaking at London Pride 2008
Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg MP, has written for Pink News on equal marriage ahead of Pride in London.
You can read the article in full here, in which Nick states: "Some people have argued that allowing same-sex couples to marry is unnecessary. I disagree. Civil partnerships were a huge stride forward, but only the right to marry - if you choose - is real equality."
LGBT+ Lib Dems chair Adrian Trett welcomed the statement. "Nick has been a supporter of LGBT+ equality and particularly equal marriage long before the Coalition. As the first major party to support the policy, the Liberal Democrats have been a driving force behind the introduction of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill, particularly Lynne Featherstone who led the consultation as Equalities Minister. It was thanks to Liberal Democrat MPs in the Commons that there was a majority on the Government benches in favour of the Bill on Second and Third readings.
"There has been support from all sides of the political landscape for this legislation and this principle. We still have a way to go to fix the problems for transgender people in particular, but we can certainly celebrate this major step forwards for same-sex couples."