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Isle Of Man's Leader Comes Out; Pushes For Gay Marriage Law
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Until homosexuality was decriminalised in 1992, two men caught having sex with each other in the Isle of Man faced life in prison. Twenty-three years on, the island is hoping to follow Ireland, the UK, the US and others by bringing in equal marriage.
The chief minister, Allan Bell, said a public consultation would be launched this month on the introduction of laws to enable same-sex couples to be married. In an interview with the Guardian, Bell said: “The message the Isle of Man has to send out in 2015 is that we are a tolerant, inclusive, open society. We abhor discrimination of any description and are outward looking and engaged with the outside world.”
The Irish referendum in May, in which 62% of voters backed same-sex marriage, had motivated the move, he said. “It helped to clarify my thoughts on a few things, and picking up the reaction locally I’ve not heard a single negative reaction to it, and that’s quite heartening.”
It is an open secret on the island that Bell has been in a relationship with another man for 21 years. “People know that I’m gay. I’ve never made a secret of it, but no one has ever asked me,” he said in his office in the Tynwald, the Manx parliament.
He said he wasn’t personally convinced about the idea of getting married, but added: “Everyone who loves their partner, whether same-sex or otherwise, must have equal rights to share their lives. It’s a totally logical human right and human expectation that straight couples and gay couples should be able to enjoy life with the partner that they choose and I totally support that.”
Subject to the outcome of the consultation and other drafting priorities, Bell intends to introduce a same-sex marriage bill into the branches of Tynwald during the 2015-16 legislative session.
Bell said he would give the council of ministers a free vote on the bill, and he was quite confident it would pass.
This summer the Guardian contacted all 24 members of both of the House of Keys and the Legislative Council, the 11-member upper chamber of the Tynwald. Of those who responded, 11 MSKs said they would support same-sex marriage, one said he wanted the issue to be decided in a referendum and one said he would vote no. Of the legislative council members who replied, two said they were opposed and four were in favour.
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Western Europe keeps falling Isle Of Man already has civil unions with full adoption rights so the change might be as small as changing a line in the law
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