An online petition calling for the Channel Islands to legalise same-sex marriage has attracted hundreds of signatures in its first two days.
Over 500 people have signed the petition demanding that Guernsey and Jersey join the rest of the UK in giving same-sex couples equal rights under the law.
The petition argued:
“Love is love no matter whether you are a heterosexual or same-sex couple. We believe everyone has the right to marry the person they love and be treated equally under the law.”
The petition was set up by Liberate, a gay rights charity based in Guernsey seeking to address the issue of discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) community on the islands.
Currently, Jersey has a law allowing for same-sex civil unions, which came into effect in April 2012.
Guernsey, on the other hand, does not allow for civil unions, although it does recognise ones performed in the UK when dealing with inheritance or other property issues.
Other demands from the petition included the introduction of anti-discrimination law to address hate crimes against LGBTQ people, reform of existing laws such as income tax to make sure they do not discriminate, and to provide services for transgender people going through transition.
