A bill on the issue has been brought forward although the Catholic Church has strongly opposed the move, despite the new plans stating that no religious community would be forced or required to hold same-sex marriages.
“We are committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal and that is why we intend to proceed with plans to allow same sex marriage and religious ceremonies for civil partnerships – we believe that this is the right thing to do,” said Scotland’s deputy first minister, Nicola Sturgeon of the announcement.
“We are also mindful of the fact that the leaders of all of the other parties represented in parliament support same sex marriage and that there is significant parliamentary support for legislation.”
The move has been announced after a government consultation with the public which received 77,508 responses, a record.
However, 64% of those who responded said that they were against same-sex marriages.
