Peter Tatchell

A London straight couple, Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, plan to challenge the ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships by filing an application at Islington Registry Office in London.

The denial of civil partnerships to straight couples is, they say, "discriminatory and perpetuates legal inequality."

Outlining the reasons why they decided to opt for a civil partnership instead of marriage, Katherine Doyle said:
"We have been together for three and a half years and would like to formalise our relationship. Because we feel alienated from the patriarchal traditions of marriage, we would prefer to have a civil partnership. As a mixed-sex couple, we are banned by law from doing so. By filing an application for civil partnership, we are seeking to challenge this discriminatory law.

"Our decision is also motivated by the fact that we object to the way same-sex couples are prohibited from getting married. If we got married we would be colluding with the segregation that exists in matrimonial law between gay civil partnerships and straight civil marriage. We don't want to take advantage of civil marriage when it is an option that is denied to our lesbian and gay friends."

Doyle and Freeman expect to be turned down by the registrar but they plan to get the refusal in writing, with view to taking legal advice and appealing the refusal.

"If necessary, we are ready to take our appeal all the way to the European Court of Human Rights," they said.

The couple's equality bid is backed by the gay rights group OutRage! and by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. He will join them on November 24 when they give notice of their civil partnership at Islington Town Hall's Registry Office.

Mr Tatchell said:
"We are against both homophobic and heterophobic laws. In a democratic society, everyone should be treated equally. There should be no legal discrimination. The ban on same-sex civil marriage and on opposite-sex civil partnerships is a form of sexual apartheid. It is one law for straight couples and another law for gay partners. Two wrongs don't make a right.

"The ban on heterosexual civil partnerships is heterophobic. It is disciminatory and offensive. I want to see it ended, so that straight couples like Tom and Katherine can have the option of a civil partnership.

"I applaud their challenge to this unjust legislation."

Under UK law, same-sex couples are banned from civil marriage and heterosexual couples are banned from civil partnerships.
 
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