# UK House of Commons Approves Gay Marriage **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 6, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455 "2013-02-06T04:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/1 "2013-02-06T04:15:47Z")
[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/world/europe/britain-gay-marriage-vote.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/world/europe/britain-gay-marriage-vote.html) Thoughts? Considering this law only applies to England and Wales, what is happening in Scotland over the gay marriage issue, although Northern Ireland isn’t too hard to guess. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/2 "2013-02-06T08:28:30Z")
The Scottish Parliament is introducing its own bill in March, though since it has a simpler procedure by virtue of being unicameral, the Scottish bill may actually pass sooner than the English & Welsh bill passes at Westminster. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/3 "2013-06-04T18:31:12Z")
Wow: [Guardian blog](http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2013/jun/04/lords-gay-marriage-vote-live-blog). So… this sounds like a done deal. Hurray! Anyone who knows British parliamentary procedure is welcome to chime in to clarify. Edit: slightly more cautious [BBC link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22764954). ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/4 "2013-06-04T18:38:46Z")
Speaking as a dutchman: Took 'em long enough. Wasn’t something in the american system supposed to speak out on gay marriage one of these days? I wonder if all the stuff in new zealand, guyana (was it?), france and england will have an impact on that. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/5 "2013-06-04T18:41:38Z")
Good, it will make international moves a lot easier! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/6 "2013-06-04T18:53:50Z")
Northern Ireland will catch up sometime around the turn of the next millennium. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/7 "2013-06-04T20:31:12Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Northern Ireland will catch up sometime around the turn of the next millennium. Followed shortly by Mississippi and Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/8 "2013-06-04T20:38:49Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > Speaking as a dutchman: Took 'em long enough. > > Wasn’t something in the american system supposed to speak out on gay marriage one of these days? I wonder if all the stuff in new zealand, guyana (was it?), france and england will have an impact on that. Those who are in favor of same-sex marriage have plenty of momentum on their own; those who are opposed could not care less what other countries do. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/9 "2013-06-04T21:51:08Z")
Theoretically, some could be on the fence. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/10 "2013-06-04T22:09:31Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > Wasn’t something in the american system supposed to speak out on gay marriage one of these days? I wonder if all the stuff in new zealand, guyana (was it?), france and england will have an impact on that. I think it was Uruguay, not Guyana. Guyana still has to tackle homosexuality being illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/11 "2013-06-04T22:10:12Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > Speaking as a dutchman: Took 'em long enough. > > Wasn’t something in the american system supposed to speak out on gay marriage one of these days? I wonder if all the stuff in new zealand, guyana (was it?), france and england will have an impact on that. Marriage is almost entirely defined at the state level in the US. 12 of 50 states and the District of Columbia (which isn’t a state or part of one) currently allow same-sex marriage. There’s a US Supreme Court decision coming down the pipe that could theoretically require every state to allow same-sex marriage, but it probably won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/12 "2013-06-04T22:45:40Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > Speaking as a dutchman: Took 'em long enough. Congrats to you, sitting atop your tower of smug. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/13 "2013-06-04T23:11:50Z")
It’s the Netherlands. Everything is below sea level. It’s probably more of a hummock of smug. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/14 "2013-06-04T23:14:19Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Congrats to you, sitting atop your tower of smug. I’m up there too, enjoying the view! But then I remember how we’ve recently had a horrible increase in hostility towards and assault of gay people, and the tower deflates a little… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/15 "2013-06-04T23:22:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It’s the Netherlands. Everything is below sea level. It’s probably more of a hummock of smug. Haha, yes, atop the tower, still looking up at a couple of dykes. Hold on…😉 (sorry) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/16 "2013-06-05T01:53:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Marriage is almost entirely defined at the state level in the US. 12 of 50 states and the District of Columbia (which isn’t a state or part of one) currently allow same-sex marriage. > > There’s a US Supreme Court decision coming down the pipe that could theoretically require every state to allow same-sex marriage, but it probably won’t. There are two court decisions expected this month. The first could (but almost surely won’t) force every state to recognize. The second would force the federal government to recognize gay marriages in states where it is legal and I think that one has some chance in the court. I expect both of them to be decided on the grounds of states’ rights. But with this court you never know. I just read about a decision in which the second most conservative judge joined with three of the liberals on a case involving forced collection of DNA from people just arrested, not convicted or even charged. Unfortunately, one of the liberals also defected and the right of the state to do that was upheld. You never know. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-house-of-commons-approves-gay-marriage/649455/17 "2013-06-05T05:01:42Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > The Scottish Parliament is introducing its own bill in March, though since it has a simpler procedure by virtue of being unicameral, the Scottish bill may actually pass sooner than the English & Welsh bill passes at Westminster. It’d sure be a great tourism opportunity for Gretna Green. > [@Wargamer](#): > > Followed shortly by Mississippi and Alabama. Mississippi, ya gotta love 'em. First state to let married woman own property; last state to outlaw slavery. 😛