23/12/2020
Congratulations are in order to Chris McNaghten and Jon Swan of Larne in Northern Ireland, who have taken part in the first wedding with a specifically religious component in the province. Pastor Steve Ames conducted the ceremony. The BBC News Channel reports that Same-sex marriage has been legally recognised in Northern Ireland since January but did not extend to ceremonies in churches or to religious bodies. Only now has a compromised been reached under which places of worship will be neither “Compelled nor prevented” from offering samesex wedding ceremonies. The new legislation has been welcomed by both sides in the debate over equal marriage, and LGBTQ activists are delighted that progressive churches, synagogues and other institutions can now offer marriage to congregants. A spokesperson for Amnesty International told the BBC that the marriage of McNaghten and Swan was a great victory for equality, whilst Juice-FM, the regions LGBTQ radio station, said “Congratulations to Chris and Jon on their wedding day! The happy couple are the first same-sex couple to be married in a religious ceremony in NI, and we couldn’t be happier for them!”.
