This week we are celebrating 10 years since the passing of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. We explore its enduring impact on the local LGBTQ+ community, and beyond.
Whilst London in general has long been home to LGBTQ+ safe spaces, ELL boroughs themselves have always been major players. Hackney hosted the first-ever civil-partnership-to-same-sex-marriage conversion. Lewisham was fertile ground for the crucial activism that led to the passing of the Act. And Tower Hamlets and Croydon both have thriving local gay communities, some of whom shared their stories with us.
This week, we catch up with inspirational Londoners who give their insights on what has really changed inside the boroughs. As well as looking at what makes a gay wedding unique, we also turn to more modern phenomena such as gay divorce, and how new demographic shifts are impacting gay marriage. We also explore an area where this legislation has failed to make as much progress as many had hoped: the Christian Church.
And, for those readers planning their own same-sex wedding, you’ll be able to access our exclusive ELL Gay Wedding Directory, with our top picks of local celebrants, venues, cake makers and more. We’d also love your input here, so please contact us to recommend a local business (in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham or Croydon) that helped make your gay wedding special – or recommend your own gay-friendly wedding business! Get in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok or email us at news@eastlondonlines.co.uk.
Be sure to keep up with us on Twitter using the hashtag #ELLGayMarrriage10
Day 1: Tuesday April 11
Straight vs gay weddings: can you spot the difference?: From the photography to the food, find out if there are things that make a same-sex wedding truly gay.
The ELL Gay Wedding Directory: Need a LGBTQ+ friendly photographer? A designer dress? A triple-layered cake? This exclusive local directory has everything you need to make your wedding absolutely fabulous.
Day 2: Wednesday April 12
‘We’ve made marriage our own’: Ten years after the passing of the Marriage Act, local same-sex couples explain how the institution has been reinvented.
What ELL’s queerest street thinks about gay marriage: Find out what we discovered when we hit the area boasting the highest number of LGB people in the ELL boroughs.
‘Divorce is so different to a break up, it’s like someone dying’: Keye Tortile-Lunn thought he’d found the love of his life, but two years later they’d untied the knot.
Day 3: Thursday April 13
‘The four horsemen of the apocalypse have not turned up as people said they would’: Meet Lewisham Councillor James J Walsh, who helped force the Marriage Act through parliament and continues to fight for equality today.
Church bells ringing out for same-sex marriage … at last: Some religious establishments have flung open their doors to same-sex couples, but there’s still a long way to go.
Reporting Team: Sam Rucker, Edward Holt and Alice Bourne.
