Gay Weddings Losing their Shine?
After their introduction in the UK in December 2005, legal civil partnership for gay people proved very popular, with over 700 "gay weddings" taking place on the first day alone, most famously that of Elton John and David Furnish.
Their popularity continued thoughout 2006 and by the end of that year over 18,000 gay couples had tied the knot. Howver newspapers to-day are reporting a slump in numbers during 2007, ranging from 30% down in some locations to as much as 90% in others, with fewer than 9000 ceremonies expected to be held by the year's end.
Well, we have to say, so what? If ever there was an obvious trend, this has to be it.
For years long established gay partnerships had no options for putting their relationships on a legal footing. Then they did. There was bound to be a backlog of couples eager to avail of the new partnerships, pushing numbers to an unusually high level in the early days. That backlog is clearing now, and number falling to what is likely to be the regular level.
The only rise in numbers we can expect now are in gay divorces. Since couples have to be in a legal arrangement for at least a year before they can dissolve their partnership, this has effectively only been a possibility since December 2006. Watch this space.
Sunday, February 3 2008 | Category: Gay Weddings