A heterosexual couple in the UK who have lost their latest battle for the right to enter into a civil partnership have said there is “everything to fight for”.
Rebecca Steinfeld (35) and Charles Keidan (40) want to secure legal recognition of their seven-year relationship through that route, but are prevented because the British Civil Partnership Act, 2004, says that only same-sex couples are eligible to enter civil partnerships.
The academics, who live in Hammersmith, west London, and have a 20-month-old daughter, claim the British government’s position on the issue is “incompatible with equality law” .
On Tuesday, the UK court of appeal agreed the couple had established a potential violation of Article 14 of the European Convention, which relates to discrimination, taken with Article Eight, which refers to respect for private and family life.
However, the judges said in a majority-verdict that this situation was at present justified by the government’s policy of “wait and evaluate”.
They heard the couple have deep-rooted and genuine ideological objections to marriage and wish to enter into a legally-regulated relationship which does not carry “patriarchal baggage”.
The secretary of state for education, who has responsibility for equalities within government, had said it was decided, after public consultations and debate in Parliament, not, at this stage, to extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples, abolish them or phase them out.
The aim was to see how extending marriage to same-sex couples impacted on civil partnerships before making a final decision on the institution.
‘Unfair situation’
Ms Steinfeld said: “We are pleased that today’s ruling has shown that the government must act very soon to end this unfair situation.
“All three judges agreed that we’re being treated differently because of our sexual orientation, and that this impacts our private and family life.
“All three rejected the argument that we could ‘just get married’.
“All three emphasised that the government cannot maintain the status quo for much longer - they are on borrowed time.”
She added: “We lost on a technicality, that the government should be allowed a little more time to make a decision.
“So there’s everything to fight for, and much in the ruling that gives us reason to be positive and keep going.”
Mr Keidan said: “The court of appeal has made it clear the status quo cannot continue.
“The government should now recognise the benefits of opening civil partnerships to mixed-sex couples.
“The measure is fair, popular, good for families and children, and long overdue.
“They have everything to gain.”
PA