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Same-sex marriage is legal in all parts of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples in Guernsey was passed by the States of Guernsey on 21 September 2016, and took effect on 2 May 2017. Same-sex marriage laws took effect in Alderney on 14 June 2018, and Sark on 23 April 2020.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey has never recognised civil partnerships, and prior to 2017 was the sole region in the British Isles to not recognise same-sex couples in any form.
Civil partnerships performed in the United Kingdom and other relationships treated as such by UK law have been recognised in Guernsey for succession purposes since 2 April 2012, after approval of a bill allowing such recognition by the States of Guernsey on 29 June 2011. The bill received royal assent in the Privy Council on 16 November and was registered in the records of the island on 5 December 2011. [1] [2]
On 10 December 2015, the States approved an ordinance to recognise same-sex marriages and civil partnerships performed abroad for the purposes of the Income Tax (Guernsey) Law, 1975. It took effect on 1 January 2017. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] On the same day, the States directed the preparation of legislation to amend the Inheritance (Guernsey) Law, 2011 to recognise foreign same-sex marriages for its purposes. [5] [8] A bill to this effect was submitted on 22 January 2016, and was approved by the States on 2 March. [9] [10] [11] It received royal assent in the Privy Council on 4 May and took effect on 16 May 2016. [12]
On 17 June 2015, the States of Alderney unanimously approved the Inheritance (Alderney) Law, 2015, which includes provisions to recognise same-sex marriages and civil partnerships performed abroad for its purposes. [13] [14] The bill received royal assent in the Privy Council on 8 October, was registered in the records of the island on 9 November 2015, and took effect on 1 January 2016. [15] [16] [17]
In January 2014, it was announced that within the next twelve months deputies would debate whether to accept a state-recognised civil union proposal. [18] The proposed law, titled Union Civile (French: [ynjɔ̃sivil] ; Guernésiais : parchounerie civile; Sercquiais : parchunnii civile), was said to be "the most forward-looking marriage law" in the world. The measure would have ended state-sanctioned marriages of any couple and instead replaced it with Union Civile. [19] A consultation on the proposed law began on 1 June 2015 and lasted until 13 July 2015. [20] [21] [22] [23] The law would only apply to the islands of Guernsey, Herm, Jethou and Lihou. [24] On 14 July 2015, the results of the consultation indicated that over 1,600 responses had been filed, with the majority supporting the introduction of a same-sex marriage law rather than a partnership law. [25]
On 30 October 2015, the Policy Council of Guernsey dropped the Union Civile plans and released a report asking the States to agree on introducing a same-sex marriage law. [26] [27] The States approved the proposal on 10 December 2015 in a 37–7 vote. Amendments to introduce civil partnerships or Union Civile rather than same-sex marriage were rejected. [28] [29] [30] [31]
Electoral district | Voted for | Voted against | Absent (Did not vote) |
---|---|---|---|
Castel | 4
| 2
| |
Saint Peter Port North | 7
| – | – |
Saint Peter Port South | 5
| 1
| – |
Saint Sampson | 6
| – | – |
South East | 5
| 1
| – |
Vale | 5
| 1
| |
West | 4
| 2
| 1
|
Alderney | 2
| – | – |
Total | 37 | 7 | 3 |
78.7% | 14.9% | 6.4% |
In February 2016, a working group, consisting of Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq and deputies Elis Bebb and Christopher Green, was established in order to prepare a draft bill. [32] [33] A same-sex marriage bill was approved by the States in a 33–5 vote on 21 September. [34] [35] [36] [37]
Electoral district | Voted for | Voted against | Absent (Did not vote) |
---|---|---|---|
Castel | 4
| 1
| – |
Saint Peter Port North | 5
| 1
| – |
Saint Peter Port South | 4
| 1
| – |
Saint Sampson | 6
| – | – |
South East | 5
| – | – |
Vale | 3
| 1
| 1
|
West | 4
| 1
| – |
Alderney | 2
| – | – |
Total [a] | 33 | 5 | 1 |
84.6% | 12.8% | 2.6% |
The Same-Sex Marriage (Guernsey) Law, 2016 received royal assent in the Privy Council on 14 December 2016. [39] It was registered in the records of the island on 16 January 2017. [40] On 21 February 2017, the government announced that the law would take effect on 2 May, if the ordinances to commence it and make the necessary changes to other laws are approved by the States at its meeting on 26 April. [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] On 26 April, the States approved both ordinances, and the law took effect on 2 May 2017. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] It applies to the jurisdiction of Guernsey, but not to Alderney and Sark. [40]
The first same-sex marriage in Guernsey was performed on 14 July 2017 between Kirsty Davison and Paula Le Page in Saint Peter Port. [51] The first same-sex couple to marry on Herm were Rebecca and Aletia Leong in August 2022. [52]
Alderney, one of the three constituent Channel Islands which form the Bailiwick of Guernsey, has full autonomy in most legal matters (except foreign affairs and other powers that have been transferred to the States of Guernsey), through the States of Alderney.
On 21 February 2017, the States' Policy and Finance Committee (PFC) approved a proposal from the Chief Executive, Victor Brownlees, to draft a bill to allow same-sex marriage on Alderney. [53] LGBT rights advocacy group Liberate estimated that the entire process of legalisation could take 12 months. [54] On 16 May, the PFC agreed to bring forward the proposed Same-Sex Marriage (Alderney) Law, 2017 to a meeting of the States on a date to be determined later. [55] On 18 July 2017, the PFC noted that the draft law was at an advanced stage, but that consequential amendments to other legislation was required before the bill could be presented to the States of Alderney. [56] On 12 September 2017, the PFC unanimously approved the bill. [57] [58] [59] The legislation was approved by the States on 18 October 2017 by a vote of 9 to 0 with one abstention. [60] [61] [62] The bill received royal assent in the Privy Council on 13 December 2017 and was registered in the records of the island on 15 January 2018. [63] [64] [65] On 13 June, the States approved the ordinances to commence the law and make the necessary changes to other laws, all of which came into effect on 14 June 2018. [66] [67] [68] [69] The first same-sex marriage was performed on 16 June 2018 in Platte Saline near Saint Anne. [70] [71]
Sark is a constituent Channel Island which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It has legislative autonomy and legislation passed by the States of Guernsey do not apply to Sark without approval of the Chief Pleas, resulting in same-sex marriages not being performed in Sark following the passage of Guernsey's legislation. [72] On 2 October 2019, the Chief Pleas approved a proposition directing the Policy and Finance Committee to instruct the Law Officers to draft legislation to legalise same-sex marriage on the island. [73] [74] [75] A bill mirroring the provisions of the Guernsey same-sex marriage law was approved by the Chief Pleas on 17 December 2019, [76] [77] and received royal assent on 11 March 2020. [78] The law was registered in the records of the island on 6 April. [79] On 22 April 2020, the Chief Pleas approved, in a unanimous 14–0 vote, the ordinances to commence the law and make the necessary changes to other laws, all of which came into effect on 23 April 2020. [80] [81] [82] [83]
Sark equestrian Carl Hester praised the legalisation of same-sex marriage on the island. [84]
Liberate estimated that around 70 same-sex couples had married in Guernsey in the first year of legalisation. [85]
On 15 November 2023, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow clergy to bless same-sex marriages. The measure, which passed with a one vote majority, took effect on 17 December 2023. [86] [87] Guernsey is part of the Diocese of Salisbury, whose bishop, Stephen Lake, voted in favour of blessing same-sex unions. [88] The Dean of Guernsey, Tim Barker, also expressed support for the blessings. [89]
The Methodist Church of Great Britain has allowed its ministers to conduct same-sex marriages since 2021. The Methodist Conference voted 254 to 46 in favour of the move in June 2021. A freedom of conscience clause allows ministers with objections to opt out of performing same-sex weddings. [90] [91] In January 2022, the Methodist congregation in Sark announced it would be performing same-sex weddings in its local chapel. [92] The smaller United Reformed Church has allowed its churches to perform same-sex marriages since 2016. [93] Quakers formally expressed support for same-sex marriage in 2009. [94]
Politics of the Bailiwick of Guernsey take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic British Crown dependency.
Sark is an island, part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It was a royal fief until 2008. It has a population of about 500. Sark has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km2). Little Sark is a peninsula joined by a natural but high and very narrow isthmus to the rest of Sark Island.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France, comprising several of the Channel Islands. It has a total land area of 78 square kilometres (30 sq mi) and an estimated total population of 67,334.
Same-sex marriage is legal in all parts of the United Kingdom. As marriage is a devolved legislative matter, different parts of the United Kingdom legalised at different times; it has been recognised and performed in England and Wales since March 2014, in Scotland since December 2014, and in Northern Ireland since January 2020. Civil partnerships, which offer most, but not all, of the rights and benefits of marriage, have been recognised since 2005. The United Kingdom was the 27th country in the world and the sixteenth in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. Polling suggests that a majority of British people support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Guernsey elects a legislature at the national level. The islands of Alderney and Sark also elect their own parliaments.
This article contains a timeline of significant events regarding same-sex marriage and legal recognition of same-sex couples worldwide. It begins with the history of same-sex unions during ancient times, which consisted of unions ranging from informal and temporary relationships to highly ritualized unions, and continues to modern-day state-recognized same-sex marriage. Events concerning same-sex marriages becoming legal in a country or in a country's state are listed in bold.
The standard scale is a system in Commonwealth law whereby financial criminal penalties (fines) in legislation have maximum levels set against a standard scale. Then, when inflation makes it necessary to increase the levels of the fines the legislators need to modify only the scale rather than every individual piece of legislation.
The States of Guernsey, officially the States of Deliberation and sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands. All enactments of the States of Guernsey apply to Herm as well as Guernsey, since Herm is directly administered by the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. 22 of the 38 countries that have legalised same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe. A further 11 European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of recognition for same-sex couples.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Jersey since 1 July 2018. The States Assembly passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry on 1 February 2018. Royal assent was granted on 23 May 2018, and the law took effect on 1 July. Jersey followed the other Crown Dependencies of the United Kingdom in legalising same-sex marriage, after the Isle of Man in 2016 and Guernsey in 2017.
Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as same-sex civil unions. Currently 33 of the 50 countries and the 8 dependent territories in Europe recognise some type of same-sex union, among them most members of the European Union (24/27). Nearly 43% of the European population lives in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha have gradually evolved over the years. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in the entire territory through the Constitution Order 2009 and same-sex marriage has been legal on the islands since 2017.
Same-sex marriage is legal in the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBT people. Marriage and civil partnerships have been open to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples since 29 April 2017. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is constitutionally banned. Additionally, attitudes are largely positive; a public consultation found that 90% of respondents were in favour of same-sex marriage.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Crown dependency of Guernsey have improved significantly in the past decades. Same-sex sexual activity for both men and women is legal in Guernsey. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2 May 2017 in Guernsey, and since 14 June 2018 in its dependency, Alderney. Legislation approving the legalisation of same-sex marriage in its other dependency, Sark was given royal assent on 11 March 2020. Guernsey is the only part of the British Isles to have never enacted civil partnership legislation, though civil partnerships performed in the United Kingdom were recognised for succession purposes. Since April 2017, same-sex couples can adopt in the entire Bailiwick. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has been banned since 2004. Transgender people have been able to legally change gender since 2007.
QUAY-FM is a VHF-FM broadcasting station on the island of Alderney. It holds the only Community Radio licence in the Channel Islands which was granted in February 2014 to the Alderney Broadcasting Company, a Registered Charity in Guernsey.
The Courts of Guernsey are responsible for the administration of justice in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. They apply the law of the Island, which is a mixture of customary law dating back as far as the 10th century and legislation passed by the legislature, the States of Deliberation.
The Law of Guernsey originates in Norman customary law, overlaid with principles taken from English common law and French law, as well as from statute law enacted by the competent legislature(s) – usually, but not always, the States of Guernsey.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 2017. An ordinance to open marriage to same-sex couples in Saint Helena was passed by the Legislative Council in a 9–2 vote on 19 December 2017. It went into force the following day, and the first same-sex marriage was performed on 31 December 2018. Same-sex couples have also been able to marry in Ascension Island since 1 January 2017 and in Tristan da Cunha since 4 August 2017.
This is a list of notable events in LGBTQ rights that took place in the 2010s.