Equal marriage will soon be a reality across the Channel Islands, following announcements by both Chief Ministers in Guernsey and Jersey today.
It is news that has been welcomed by Equality charity, Liberate, which has been campaigning hard in both islands for equal marriage, and held regular meetings with both Chief Ministers.
Speaking on behalf of Liberate, its Chair, Martin Gavet said:
“We very much welcome the positive news in both Guernsey and Jersey, regarding Equal Marriage. Jersey’s Chief Minister has confirmed his intention that, subject to the States of Jersey Assembly’s agreement, a draft law will be submitted by the end of January 2017.
We are also delighted that on the same day, Guernsey’s Chief Minister has stated his intention to bring a States Report to the Guernsey Assembly by the end of this political term, following the close of the consultation.
We would hope that the States of Guernsey consider this report well before the general election next year. The LGBT community in Guernsey has been very patient and waited almost a decade to get to this stage, after the States agreed originally to investigate civil partnerships. We see no reason why both Guernsey and Jersey cannot introduce new legislation giving equal marriage rights at the same time (i.e. by the end of 2017)”.
Liberate launched a successful 6 week social media campaign around the Union Civile in Guernsey proposals, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter feeds to ensure good engagement, with videos and downloadable leaflets answering questions from the public. The campaign saw, what Liberate believes to be a record level of engagement with 1,600 reponses to the States survey.
