2.

Situation in England

Acceptability of same sex marriage in England

As has been said in the introduction to this paper, the stand of this paper is that same
sex marriage is acceptable in England as evidenced by the passing of Marriage (Same Sex
Couples) Act in 2013. Despite this papers stand that same sex marriage is accepted by the
majority of the society in England as evidenced by the passing of the Act, this part will also
discuss the dissenting viewpoint of the members of the society who are opposed to the new
law, especially from the church and how the legislature created a compromise between these
two opposite ends of the society in England.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was passed to put an end to the ban on
same sex marriage in England and Wales. The provisions of the Act, which received the
Royal Assent on 17 July 2013 after having been passed by both Houses of the Parliament,
came into force in stages, with provisions that make the marriage of same sex couple lawful
and the procedures to solemnize such a marriage came into force on 13 March 2014 through
the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional
Provision) Order 2014 made by the United Kingdom Secretary of the State on 15 January
2014. The Act is to be read together with the main Act governing marriage in England and
Wales namely the Marriage Act 1949. Section 1 (1) and (2) of the Marriage (Same Sex
Couples) Act 2013 provides that the concept of marriage is extended by the Act to marriage
of same sex couple :