Straight British couple seeks 'gay' partnership

[Kadie]

Straight British couple seeks 'gay' partnership

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 24 mins ago


LONDON – Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle are in love and want to tie the knot — but they don't want to get married.

The 26-year-old Londoners think they should be allowed to have a civil partnership, a form of legal union available in Britain only to same-sex couples.

On Tuesday, after having their application to form a civil partnership rejected by officials at their local town hall in Islington, north London, they said they will go to court to win the right. They are being backed by gay rights activists, who hope a ruling that allows straight couples the right to a civil partnership would mean, in turn, that gay couples have the right to wed.

"The titles of husband and wife and all the things that pop into people's heads when you say you're getting married don't appeal to us," said Doyle, a student. "In our day-to-day life we feel like civil partners — we don't feel like husband and wife, and we want the government to recognize that."

Marriage and civil partnership are virtually identical in law, and activists argue both should be open to all couples.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_britain_gay_marriage

[xchrom]

1. happy civil partenering to the young couple. nt