At the end of September 2003 the consultation period on the government’s consultation document Civil Partnerships - a framework for the legal recognition of same-sex couples came to an end. After consulting with its members and clients beYOU submitted its response. The full response is available on our web site, a summary is below:

The proposals have received substantial support from our respondents who feel that Civil Partnerships (CP) are an important step in obtaining comprehensive civil rights for gay and lesbian people. However, many people have expressed concerns that these proposals will be watered down through the parliamentary process. It is our view that any CP legislation needs to confer the same rights on registered same-sex couples as experienced by married heterosexual couples. We see this has fundamental. Partial recognition of same-sex couples is totally unacceptable and will reinforce the view that our relationships do not have the same validity as heterosexual relationships.

Regarding the safe registration of same-sex couples, it our view that you cannot have a registered partnership without it being by its very nature public. Registered partners should not have to be protected by keeping their relationship secret, but instead through legal protection from homophobic harassment and abuse.

Whilst there is the view that treating unregistered same-sex couples in the same way as registered couples for income-related benefits is unfair, it is at least the same for unmarried heterosexual couples. The overarching principle for us is equality even at the price of having to take greater responsibility.

On the issue of the term “civil partnership registration” our responses were mixed. Some people felt that the term “civil partnership” was too cold and clinical. People also felt that the use of this term implied that CP was somehow lesser than marriage. However, others where keen that the word “marriage” should NOT be used due to its religious overtones.

The term “registered partner” is very literal. Maybe something shorter and more emotive would be preferable.

In closing we wish to stress the importance of implementing these proposals in full as soon as possible. Lesbian and gay couples need a civil partnership scheme to give us the rights and responsibilities that married heterosexual partners currently enjoy. We need these rights to allow us to live our day to day lives to the full as open and valued members of society. These rights will enable us to be secure in times of trauma, when a partner is ill or even when a partner dies.