A Melbourne same-sex couple, who were the first in the world to be married under Scotland’s equal marriage law, have been congratulated by the Scottish Parliament.
Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster were congratulated in a motion before the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
Mr Pretsell said,
“We never expected this degree of support from the media and now government. Both of us are thrilled to be the subject of a motion in the Scottish Parliament.”
On Tuesday, Pretsell and Gloster converted their civil partnership into a marriage under Scottish law, in the UK consulate in Melbourne.
Because of the time difference between Australia and Scotland they were the first same-sex couple in the world to be married under Scottish law.
Image by Same Love photography
For a copy of the motion, see below
For more information contact Douglas Pretsell on 0466 925 966 or Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
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Author: Douglas Pretsell, Rodney Croome
Publication: AME Media Release
Date: 18 December 2014
Motion S4M-11918: Drew Smith, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 16/12/2014
Scotland’s First Same-sex Marriages Take Place
That the Parliament congratulates the couple from Melbourne, Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster, who were the first couple to convert their Scottish civil partnership to marriage on the stroke of midnight on 16 December 2014; shares their view that this is an important step forward for equality; notes that Scott and David Barclay are set to become the first Scotland-based gay couple to have their civil partnership converted to marriage in Glasgow; further notes that Scotland became the 17th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in February 2014, when the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 was passed by 105 votes to 18, the third strongest majority for any same-sex marriage legislation in the world; highlights that support for same-sex marriage reached a record high in Scotland, with more than two-thirds of people polled agreeing that gay couples should be allowed to tie the knot, and looks forward to the first same-sex weddings that can take place from 31 December 2014.
Supported by: Joan McAlpine, Claudia Beamish, Sarah Boyack, Iain Gray, Margaret McDougall, Bill Kidd, Patrick Harvie, Patricia Ferguson, Cara Hilton, Jim Hume, Roderick Campbell, Hugh Henry, Jean Urquhart, Elaine Murray, Kevin Stewart, Anne McTaggart, Margaret McCulloch, Liam McArthur, Jayne Baxter, Neil Findlay, Lewis Macdonald, Jackie Baillie, Ken Macintosh, John Finnie, James Dornan, Richard Simpson, Linda Fabiani, Colin Beattie