Millionaire gay fathers to sue the Church of England for not allowing them to get married in the church

Daily Mail 2 August 2013
Gay father Barrie Drewitt-Barlow declared: ‘I  want to go into my church and marry my husband.’ He added: ‘The only way forward  for us now is to make a challenge in the courts against the Church.’
The legal move means an early test for David  Cameron’s promise to the CofE and Roman Catholic bishops that no church would be  forced to conduct same-sex weddings against the will of its leaders and its  faithful.
Ministers set down a ‘quadruple lock’ in the  new same sex marriage law – which received Royal Assent last month – which is  supposed to protect those churches which oppose gay marriage.
However the guarantees will have to be tested  in the courts and gay rights groups have been expecting to bring an early  challenge.
Mr Drewitt-Barlow and his civil partner Tony  have been a celebrated couple since 1999, when they became the first gay couple  to be named on the birth certificate of a child. They now have five children  through surrogate mothers.
He said : ‘We need to convince the church  that it is the right thing for our community for them to recognise us as  practising Christians.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2383686/Millionaire-gay-fathers-sue-Church-England-allowing-married-church.html

 

 

 

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