ATV Reports: Majority Of Scots Support Gay Marriage

A new poll by Stonewall Scotland has revealed the majority of the Scottish population support gay marriage.

The poll by YouGov for Stonewall Scotland surveyed 1,968 people puts public support for marriage equality as increasing with 64% in favour compared to 61% in 2010. The rise in support for marriage equality on Scotland comes despite fierce opposition to gay marriage for the Catholic Church in Scotland – one senior member described it as a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”. The poll also revealed that the majority of people believed that LGBT people in Scotland still faced prejudice in society.

The SNP led administration in Scotland held its own public consultation on marriage equality last year with it closing in December. The administration was expected to release its findings from the consultation in March but was unexpectedly delayed. Earlier this week it announced it would reveal the results within the next two weeks. The SNP had previously indicated they were “inclined” to introduce laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

The Westminster government has held its own consultation on the issue in England & Wales – which closed in June. While it is widely expected the coalition government will legalise gay marriage it is expected to do so at a slower pace than the Scottish government though Nick Clegg has promised his Liberal Democrat party marriage equality “by 2015”.