Is Gay Marriage Legal In UK? Scottish Episcopal Church Votes To Allow Same-Sex Marriage

The Scottish Episcopal Church became the first major Christian church in the United Kingdom to have voted in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry in church. This historic move Thursday by a mainstream Christian denomination in the U.K. placed the church at odds with the majority of the Anglican Communion worldwide.

The vote was described as a “momentous step” by the head of the church. It constituted a landmark amendment to the canon law on marriage and the vote removed the stipulation that marriage is only between a man and a woman. The vote was carried out by the Synod in Edinburgh, and required the support of at least two-third members of each of the houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity.

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This step meant that gay Christians, who are from any Anglican church, can now get married in a Scottish Episcopal Church. The clergy who want to conduct gay marriages can “opt-in” and those who do not will not be forced to act against their conscience.

The Episcopal Church's Bishop of Edinburgh, the Right Reverend John Armes, said: “I am very pleased for the couples who can now have their relationships recognized by the church and blessed by God.”

“I'm also pleased for what this means about our church and the way we have been able to do this. But obviously any change like this creates pain and hurt in some as well, so as a bishop of the church I feel for them,” he added.

In response to the vote, Rev. David Chilingworth, head of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said: “The step we have taken today is a momentous one. By removing gender from our marriage canon, our church now affirms, as its official position, that same-sex couple are not just married, but are married in the sight of God.”

Stonewall Scotland, the Scottish branch of the LGBT charity, said: “We're delighted that the Scottish Episcopal Church has voted to allow same-sex couples to marry. This will mean a lot to so many couples!”

Following the vote, a group of global Anglican traditionalists declared it will appoint a missionary bishop “to serve the needs of those who oppose gay marriage.”

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Archbishop Foley Beach, a senior figure in the group, said: “Today's decision by the Scottish Episcopal Church to change the biblical and historic definition of marriage has highlighted the need to respond to the cries and pleas of those Scots who today have been marginalized by their leaders.”

“The attempt to redefine marriage is not one that a faithful Christian can support,” he added.

At the Synod in 2016, members of the Anglican church agreed to send the same-sex marriage proposal for discussion to its seven dioceses. Six among them voted backing the proposal to amend the law, except Aberdeen and Orkney, which voted against it.

Same-sex marriage has been legal everywhere in the United Kingdom, with the exception of Northern Ireland, since February 2014. At the time, Arlene Foster from the Democratic Unionist Party, who would go on to become the the first minister, said her party would continue to use a petition of concern to block any bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. The Scottish parliament passed legislation in February 2014 to legalize same sex marriage, while England and Wales did so in July 2013.