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Council in Trouble Over Gay Ban on Wedding Room
Lisburn Council could be in hot water over their refusal to allow gay 'civil partnership' registration ceremonies to use the Cherry Room which is used by the council for civil marriage ceremonies.
The Alliance's Seamus Close originally proposed that the Cherry Room continued to only be used for marriage ceremonies, and the council agreed there was a distinction between marriages and 'civil partnerships'. However, Sinn Fein claim that the council have been advised by lawyers that the 'ban' could be successfully challenged in court. The council will now seemingly hold an emergency meeting about this on Wednesday.
I have mixed feelings about this. Call me a bigot if you like (I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time) but I don't equate civil partnerships with marriage. I don't know if that means they shouldn't be allowed to use the wedding room or not, but the usual cries of discrimination bore me. Frankly I think marriage should be encouraged and its value promoted. I'm more concerned about the message the move would send and the devaluation of marriage it might indicate than I am about keeping gays out. People treat marriage too cheaply as it is, I've seen it myself and it's quite depressing. Don't make it any worse!