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Gay-Friendly Greens Urge EU-Wide Same-Sex Marriage

■ Caroline Lucas MEP is joined on the electio hustings by Peter Tatchell. Photo: Adrian Arbib

LONDON, May 21, 2009span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  –  Britain’s two current Green MEPs, Caroline Lucas (South-East England) and Jean Lambert (London), are backing calls for an end to the ban on same-sex marriage in the UK and in other EU member states.

Both want EU-wide same-sex marriage laws.

“The Green Party is the only British political party that opposes the ban on same-sex civil marriage,” said Green Party leader and European election candidate for south-east England, Caroline Lucas MEP.

“We want marriage equality for LGBT couples.  It is time same-sex marriage was agreed and recognised by all EU member states.

“Lesbian and gay married couples should be able to move freely around Europe and have their marriages recognised on exactly the same basis as heterosexual married couples," she added.

Her call for EU marriage equality is echoed by Peter Tatchell, gay human rights campaigner, Green Party human rights spokesperson and the Green parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.

“At the moment there is a confusing patchwork of different partnership laws in different European countries, ranging from the PACS system in France to civil partnerships in Britain and to full civil marriage in countries like Spain and the Netherlands,” he said.

“The Greens believe it is time these laws were harmonised throughout EU to the best and most universally recognised system of partnership law, civil marriage. Anything less is second class and discrimination.

“Most EU countries do not recognise the different same-sex partnership laws in other member states.  For a majority of lesbian and gay couples their legal rights stop at their own borders.  This creates lots of problems for same-sex partners who travel or move to other EU countries,” noted Mr Tatchell.

Across Europe – and beyond, the Greens are seen as the ‘gay-friendly’ political party.  In last November’s United States Presidential election, the US Greens were the only party to include LGBT concerns in their election manifesto.

The European Parliamentary elections are being held in the 27-member countries between June 4 and 7.  In the UK, the election is on Thursday June 4.

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