Same-Sex Marriage

In September 2005 a same-sex couple from Canada commenced proceedings to have their Canadian marriage recognised in England and Wales under s 55 of the Family Law Act 1986. Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson would be able to register their relationship in the UK under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 but Ms Kitzinger and Ms Wilkinson believed they should be allowed to be married and argued in the High Court that a failure to recognise the validity of their marriage constituted a breach of their human rights. On 31 July 2006 the High Court dismissed the application.