The youth and student wings of Scotland's political parties have
today united to demand the Scottish Parliament legalise same-sex
marriage.
The leaders of SNP Students, Scottish Labour Students, Scottish
Young Labour, Conservative Future Scotland, Liberal Youth Scotland,
and the Scottish Young Greens have written a joint letter to every
MSP calling on them to pledge their support for the Equal Marriage
campaign.
In the letter, the youth leaders call for a "progressive future
for Scotland", echoing Alex Salmond's recent call for Scotland to
be a "progressive beacon".
They point out that "young people are united" in favour of equal
marriage, and argue that "the current ban on same-sex marriage is
discriminatory, and reinforces homophobia in society."
The letter was welcomed by the Equality Network who hope it will
put pressure on individual MSPs from all parties to clarify their
position.
Tom French, Policy Coordinator for the Equality Network, said: "We
are delighted to see broad cross-party support for Equal Marriage
from Scotland's political youth movements. Today's letter sends out
a clear message to Holyrood; young people want to live in a modern,
tolerant and diverse Scotland; free from prejudice and
discrimination.
"Times have moved on, and attitudes have changed. We hope the
Scottish Government will listen and bring forward legislation to
lift the ban on same-sex marriage."
Gail Lythgoe, Convener of SNP Students, added: "SNP Students
supports a right to equal marriage for all those who want it and
the right for all religious opinions to be respected. We must
respect the different feelings and opinions on the issue from a
variety of groups from across Scotland, and we believe that it is
correct that there is a safeguard for those who may not want to
solemnise same-sex marriages.
"Scotland is a place of inclusiveness, fairness and equality and
it is time the law was changed to reflect these values."
Since launching in 2008, the 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.
