| Key benefits | - equal treatment for tax purposes, including inheritance tax
- recognition for immigration purposes
- rights to survivor’s pension
- next of kin rights
- exemption from testifying against each other in court
- court administered dissolution process
- domestic violence protection
- automatic revocation of will on registration of partnership
- on intestacy surviving partner automatically inherits their partners property
- maintenance on dissolution
|
The Act allows homosexual couples the same rights as married couples. These include next of kin rights, not having to pay 40 per cent inheritance tax, pension rights and recognition for immigration and tax purposes. A recent survey of the gay community in the magazine, Gay Times, revealed that 81 per cent of people are planning to take advantage of the new law. Gay men and lesbians who want to hold a civil partnership ceremony need to go to their local register office to give formal notice of their intention to register their partnership. They can hold the ceremony 15 days after giving this notice. On the actual day, couples will form their civil partnership by signing a document in the presence of a registration officer and two witnesses. Civil partnership ceremonies can take place in venues licensed to hold civil weddings or registry offices. Alan and Lee who are getting married in January. They said: "We were treated extremely well by the registrars at the Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone. They were as excited as we were about the new same sex civil partnerships, a real relief for us as you always worry how you are going to be dealt with - worrying are they sincere or just out to get a cut of the pink pound. "However the registry office have been wonderful, kind and considerate throughout." Iolanda Hudson, Event Organiser (www.kentbride.co.uk) said: "I think it's important that same sex relationships are given the same respect as any other. Back in the 70s my English Mum married my Italian Dad and they experienced much resistance from the local community. "Nowadays people don't think twice about inter-cultural marriages and I see this recent law change as a very positive step, finally gay couples can celebrate their relationship in the same way as others have for years." Some venues and services in Kent have woken up to this new market and started to promote themselves as gay friendly. These include The Lost Village of Dode, Philpots Manor, Lympne Castle and The Queen’s Inn. Helen Garvey of Philpots Manor said: “We feel from our research, that privacy is very important to gay couples as this is very much new territory for them and the majority of people we interviewed preferred to keep their private life private.
They also appeared to be quite nervous of the reception they might receive from various venues.” There has been some controversy about the Act especially from religious quarters. However, Kent clergyman Bishop Jonathan Blake said he is happy to bless couples. He is the Bishop of Greater London for the Open Episcopal Church. He said: “Our church has the same regard for and places the same value on the love between a gay couple as between a heterosexual couple.” Some other more traditional elements of heterosexual weddings are also embracing gay weddings. A local toastmaster, Ian Low, said: “Some of my fellow toastmasters are a bit sniffy about it but at the end of the day it is about two people who love each other, getting hitched.” Nicola Hill is co-founder of gay-friendly-wedding-venues.com | 
