‘Momentous day for gay couples’

A COUPLE aged 82 and 70 were among the first in the country to convert their civil partnerships into marriages at 10am yesterday when they wed at the registry office at Brighton Town Hall.

Yesterday the legislation from the amendment to the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples Act) came into effect, allowing couples who had already taken up the option of civil partnership to convert into a marriage.

Each couple were signed off by the Brighton and Hove City Council’s registrars and treated to a champagne and sushi reception at the nearby restaurant Moshimo.

And all the couples were given a commemorative certificate to mark their involvement in the day’s celebration.

The city’s superintendent registrar said about 150 couples had already booked to convert their civil partnerships into marriages and that following this morning’s conversions, another six or seven would be taking place at the town hall on Wednesday.

Ian Scott and Ron Williams, who live in Brighton, were one of the couples.

They met in the 1960s when homosexuality was still illegal and said five decades ago they could not imagine being legally allowed to marry.

Mr Scott, 70, born in Portslade, said: “It has been quite remarkable, almost unbelievable that it could ever happen.”

Mr Williams, 82, said it was a “momentous day for gay people”.

He said: “We would never have thought this would happen, not when we first got together, I would have imagined a life in the shadows forever.

“When the civil partnerships came in we thought that was the end of the road, I thought it was very good.

“Legally it made us almost equal but now this puts us on the same bracket as heterosexual people and I think that is a great thing.

“It is a feeling of recognition and equality. We live in a very diverse society and this is another aspect of it.”

They have been together for 52 years after meeting in the spring of 1962 when they both started working in the same office and shared an interest in table tennis.

The Civil Partnership Act was passed and came into effect in December 2005 but they could not technically be classed as marriages.

At the beginning of this year the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act came into force.

But not until the act was amended did it mean couples already in civil partnerships could finally wed.

Jim Underwood, 52, and Raymond Potter, 44, both from Brighton, were the first couple to emerge from the registry office as newlyweds.

Mr Underwood said the day was “very special”.

“It is what we wanted from the start,” he said.

“It has been very special.

“Everyone at the time we became civil partners was saying ‘well it is not a marriage’ and we never thought we would actually be able to have a marriage so we took the partnerships.

“It is a long time coming. We have been civil partners since 2005 when it was first legal.”

John Azzopardi, 39, and Aaron Burns, 38, from Hove, also got married.

Mr Azzopardi said: “We are very happy. It is good for us because it is proper marriage equality. Even though our civil partnership was great it was always not quite the same.

“We did not think it would ever happen, we were quite happy with the civil partnership. But once it looked like it was happening we definitely wanted to do it and signed up straight away.”

Angela Cooper, 35, from Oxfordshire, got married to her partner Diane Cooper, 37, at the ceremony.

She said: “It was a really special day. We got civil partnered four years ago and that was the day we felt married and today just marks the formalisation of that in terms of being able to use the term wife and marriage. So it is really important in that respect.

“We always held out one day there would be same-sex marriage. We knew it would come but that was the frustration – it has taken a long time to get here.

“But fortunately it is here and we are grateful for that. It would just be nice to see other countries follow suit because it is important.

“We have special links in Brighton. I proposed to Diane in Brighton, we had our civil partnership here. It is where we feel closer to everything that is important about our relationship so it was very important for us to come back here.”

She added: “It's a really important step for same-sex couples as it is about our marriage being equal under the law. It is important for all same-sex couples to have the same equality if they want it.”

The Mayor and Mayoress of Brighton and Hove were on hand to meet and greet the happy couples and even threw confetti as they left the town hall.

The mayor, councillor Brian Fitch, said: “It is a unique occasion, absolutely fantastic. Brighton is the perfect city and I would say that these are fantastic ceremonies and we are open for business and are able and willing to offer this facility, to give an opportunity for people for the first time to have a real marriage.

“The couples have loved it, many have been together for many years where life was difficult for them.

“Now it is one of the freedoms we can celebrate in this country and particularly in a city which is leading the nation.”

Linda Holm, superintendent registrar at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “Personally it is a great day for me because I was here when civil partnerships became law back in 2005 and I was involved with the first three couples that actually became civil partners – it is very special to see it come full circle.”

She added: “The atmosphere has been great, really positive and exciting. For those couples that have been through the process this morning it has been life-changing. It’s a great privilege to be part of that and to help them through the legal process.”

Couples wishing to convert their civil partnerships will have the choice of a simple process at a register office or a two-stage process, where a registrar can later complete the conversion at another venue meaning the couple’s family and friends can attend.

The conversion can take place at premises which have been registered for the marriage of same-sex couples – including hotels, stately homes and religious venues.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg praised the change to the Marriage Act as further progress for LGBT equality in the UK. He said: “I am proud that couples can finally convert their civil partnerships to marriage.”

He added: “So as we raise a glass to those making their vows, we send a message of solidarity to LGBT people everywhere.”

For the first year, all couples who formed their civil partnership before March 29 (when same-sex marriage was introduced) will be able to receive a £45 fee reduction.