Wedding couples quest as Angus prepares to lead way in 10-year anniversary celebration of same-sex marriage

A special invite has gone out to Angus same-sex couples preparing to mark their own milestone anniversary.

Next month, it will be 10 years since gay marriage became legal in Scotland.

And a Forfar councillor hopes the first local couples to tie the knot will join a celebration in Forfar.

Conservative Ross Greig has organised the event to take place on Monday December 16 in the Canmore Room, Forfar.

But Mr Greig has – so far – been unsuccessful in tracking down the first couple who became officially married on the momentous day a decade ago.

Across Scotland, 84 same-sex couples converted their civil partnership to a marriage.

One was in Angus, three each in Dundee and Fife, and another in Perth and Kinross.

Two women from Dundee were the first to be able to call themselves married after being at the door of the city registrar’s before 9am.

Their tin, or aluminium, anniversary approaches.

Angus leads way in same-sex marriage celebration

However, protocols including GDPR have prevented Mr Greig from getting details of early same-sex Angus newlyweds.

“I’m not aware of any other local authorities celebrating this milestone,” he said.

“If Angus is the only one, then I’m proud to be the person highlighting it.”

He has invited fellow Angus councillor Brian Boyd and his partner, as well as North East Conservative MSP Tess White and her wife, to the Forfar event.

“But I am still trying to find some Angus couples who were eagerly awaiting this change in the law and were first in the queue to say ‘I do’,” he added.

“I would very much like for them to get in touch with me to be a part of this celebration.

“The message is still the same on equality, and the fact this law has been in place for 10 years is worth celebrating.

Mr Grieg can be contacted via email at CllrGreig@angus.gov.uk or on
07715 439859.

Debate lingers a decade on

Civil partnerships had existed in Scotland from 2005.

It granted same-sex couples almost identical rights as married couples – but did not allow them to call themselves married.

The official date for the first equal marriages in Scotland was December 31 2014.

But those already in civil partnerships who didn’t wish to have a marriage ceremony were able to have their civil partnership documentation changed to a full marriage certificate.

In the intervening decade, the subject of gay marriage has continued to provoke debate within politics and the church.