Belfast couple challenge Northern Ireland’s equal marriage ban

In the first court case of its kind, a gay couple from Belfast are challenging Northern Ireland’s stand on same-sex marriage, reports the Belfast Telegraph.

The pair, who were granted anonymity by the court, were married in London last year and are now trying to get their home country to recognise their union. The case, dubbed X’s Petition, is backed by The Rainbow Project, Northern Ireland’s biggest LGBT organisation.

Barrister Karen Quinlivan QC told Belfast High Court yesterday: “The petitioner and his spouse find themselves in a particularly arbitrary situation where lawful marriage is stripped from them whenever they reside in Northern Ireland, returning and disappearing as they cross state lines.”

Quinlivan added that petitioner X “takes the view that his marriage has been demeaned, devalued and undermined by virtue of the (society) in which he lives”, and that most gay couples struggle with the fact that they cannot be married in Northern Ireland.

As part of the case, petitioner X submitted an affidavit in which he and his spouse indicated future plans to adopt children, and that they considered marriage the best foundation for a family.

The case continues. Next month, a second case challenging restrictions on same-sex marriage will be heard by the court.

The Northern Ireland Assembly recently voted on same-sex marriage for the fifth time. Majority of MLAs voted in favour of marriage equality, but the proposal was blocked by a petition of concern tabled by the Democratic Unionist Party.

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