24/06/2017 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

The first ever legal humanist wedding ceremony took place in Northern Ireland on Thursday, July 22.

Eunan O’Kane and Laura Lacole

Following a lengthy legal battle to secure recognition, Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane wed in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by friends and family and conducted by Humanists UK celebrant Isabel Russo.

On Monday, Laura and Eunan won the right to have their ceremony recognised through an order of the Court of Appeal. The decision followed on from a High Court ruling earlier this month that gave legal recognition to humanist marriages, a decision which has been appealed by Northern Ireland’s Attorney General, General Register Office, and Department of Finance. Humanists UK and its section Northern Ireland Humanists are supporting their case.

Model and public speaker Laura and Leeds United and Republic of Ireland midfielder Eunan’s wedding is the first legal humanist ceremony in Northern Ireland and the first in the UK outside of Scotland.

Andrew Copson, Humanists UK’s Chief Executive, present at the wedding, said: “Laura and Eunan’s wedding epitomises what marriages should be all about: beautiful, hand-crafted occasions that match perfectly to the deepest beliefs and values. It has been a lovely occasion that has been a joy for all in attendance. We hope it proves to be the first of many such legal humanist ceremonies.”

About humanist weddings
A humanist wedding is a non-religious ceremony that is deeply personal and conducted by a humanist celebrant. It differs from a civil wedding in that it is entirely hand-crafted and reflective of the humanist beliefs and values of the couple, conducted by a celebrant who shares their beliefs and values.

Legal recognition has already had a transformative effect on Scottish and Irish society. In Scotland, humanist marriages gained legal recognition in 2005, and have risen in number from 85 in the first year to over 4,300 in 2015, overtaking the Church of Scotland in the process. In the Republic of Ireland, humanist marriages gained legal recognition in 2012. In 2015 around six percent of legal marriages were humanist, more than three times as many as there were (Protestant) Church of Ireland marriages.

About the legal case
Laura and Eunan’s case is being taken on human rights grounds, targeting the discriminatory law that has meant that religious people are able to have legal marriage ceremonies in line with their beliefs, but humanists have, until now, not been able to do likewise.

While the decision on Monday means that they have now had a legal humanist ceremony, the wider question as to the future recognition of other humanist marriages in Northern Ireland has been stayed until a further Court of Appeal hearing on September 11. The High Court found on the June 9 that the ban on such marriages having recognition is discriminatory. This decision has not been overturned, but will be subject to the further hearing. Other couples will have to wait for the outcome of the case before finding out if they can have a similar ceremony.

Transport for London (TfL) is celebrating London Pride by transforming parts of the transport network with a new rainbow design, which has been created especially to raise awareness and show support for the LGBT+ communities, as part of a range of activities taking place this month.

♦ Tottenham Court Road Tube station features rainbow livery

♦ Rainbow roundels across three central London Tube stations

♦ Fifty Santander Cycles decorated with rainbow mudguards

♦ Rainbow flags at bus stops along the parade route

The bold new design highlighting #loveislove can be seen above the Oxford Street entrance of Tottenham Court Road station and has been incorporated into a number of rainbow roundels at Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus Tube stations.

Anyone hiring a Santander Cycle has the chance to ride on one of the fifty cycles that have been decorated with rainbow livery on their rear mudguards, demonstrating and celebrating how proud the capital is of its diversity.

On the day of the parade, TfL will also mark the occasion with rainbow flags at several bus stops, including two in the Charing Cross area which will be kept permanently after the Pride celebrations to serve as a symbol of the organisation’s support for the LGBT+ communities.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “Here in London, you’re free to love whoever you want to love and be whoever you want to be. That’s just one of the reasons why our city is seen as a beacon for the LGBT+ communities and has such a vibrant, thriving scene – one that is bursting with colour, and contributes hugely to the life and soul of London.

“As commuters make their way across the capital, they’ll be greeted by rainbow colours taking pride of place at Underground stations, bus stops and Santander Cycles around Soho, sending a strong message of support to London’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. This Pride, I look forward to celebrating the capital’s diversity and showing that London is open to all people, regardless of background, religion, race, gender, disability, age or sexuality.”

Ben Lyon, Chair of OUTbound, TfL’s LGBT+ Staff Network Group, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Pride celebrations by decorating the transport network with our beautiful rainbow design at Tube stations, bus stops and on bikes. The capital is one of the most diverse cities in the world and we are extremely proud to be part of the message to the world that, whatever your sexual orientation, London is open and welcomes you.”

Sigga Sigurdardottir, Chief Innovation and Customer Officer at Santander, added: “London is a city that has long championed diversity and inclusion. We are really excited to be a part of the celebrations and hope that local residents and visitors to the city enjoy exploring London on one of our rainbow Santander Cycles.”

‘This is just one piece of activity we have planned to celebrate Pride. We have a host of other celebrations going on throughout the rest of UK, from taking part in Pride marches and decorating a number of branches to creating rainbow themed menus in our staff restaurants.”

This year’s initiatives build on TfL’s strong legacy of promoting Pride follow the installation of the diversity traffic signals last year and a range of rainbow-wrapped vehicles, including a London bus, black taxi and DLR train.