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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Freddy McConnell

We may have equal marriage – but LGBTQ+ people are still locked out of equal parenthood

Illustration showing three people round a drawing of a rainbow.
‘When becoming parents, LGBTQ+ people carry a ‘burden of proof’ to which straight people are not subject.’ Illustration: Malte Mueller/Getty/fStop

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act is 10 years old. In the UK, any couple can marry. Likewise, thanks to this courageous pair, any couple can now get a civil partnership. On marriage, the law has kept pace with the diversifying society it exists to regulate and protect.

If you reflect on what was updated – the religious institution of marriage – and how long it had been the way it was, it hits you afresh how monumental this step forward was. Yet here we are. The equality of love has become a cliche. Young children have only known a world where every auntie and uncle they’ll ever have could get married. It is meticulous and slow but ultimately, whether through parliament or the courts, the law moves forward.

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