Equal Marriage campaigners are expecting hundreds of people from
across Scotland to join a Valentine's Day march on Holyrood to
demonstrate public support for same-sex marriage.
The 'Love Equally' march will start from Bristo Square, Edinburgh,
and end in a rally outside the Scottish Parliament where marchers
will hear speeches from supportive MSPs and deliver a giant
Valentine's Day card to Scotland's First Minister; Alex
Salmond.
The card will read: 'Dear Alex, Be Our Valentine. Roses are
white, Thistles are blue, We support equal marriage, And we hope
the Scottish Government will too.'
The march is being organized by the Equality Network, the Scottish
Youth Parliament, LGBT Youth and NUS, as part of a joint campaign
to encourage the Scottish Government to legalise same-sex
marriage.
Tom French, Policy Coordinator for the Equality Network, said;
"This Valentine's Day hundreds of equal marriage supporters from
across the country will be marching on Holyrood to send a clear
message to the Scottish Government; we demand full equality for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens, and we will settle
for nothing less. With the backing of a majority of Scots and
cross-party support in parliament, the Scottish Government now have
all the backing they need to bring forward legislation to lift the
ban on same-sex marriage."
Grant Costello MSYP, SYP Chair, said; "All the evidence shows the
majority of Scots support marriage equality, and the historic
response to the Government's consultation on same sex marriage
demonstrates they are prepared to speak out for equality.
Scotland's young people are determined that the consultation is not
the end, but just the beginning of the journey to a better nation
with equality at its heart. We need all those supporters of
marriage equality to march with us, be our Valentines and Love
Equally on February 14th!"
Since launching in 2008, the Equality Network's Equal Marriage
campaign has received backing from politicians across the political
spectrum.
Last week opposition leaders in the Scottish Parliament signed a
pledge to support the campaign, whilst the Scottish Government have
stated they are 'minded' to lift the ban on same-sex
marriage.
The Scottish Government public consultation on same-sex marriage
closed on the 9 Dec with over 50,000 responses.
The responses are currently being analysed and the Government is
expected to publish the results and make a decision on whether to
take forward legislation in May 2012.
Opinion polls suggest a majority of Scots support equal marriage,
including the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2010 which indicated
61% support versus 19% opposition. This included a majority of
respondents following all the major faiths and political parties in
Scotland.
