Gay MP Opposes U.K. Marriage Equality Bill

Gay Conservative MP Conor Burns

U.K. prime minister David Cameron is encountering much resistance to his marriage equality bill, including from a gay member of Parliament.

Most of the opposition is coming from Cameron’s own Conservative Party. Of the 303 Conservative MPs, 121 “have indicated to their constituents that they are uneasy about the highly controversial move,” London’s Telegraph reports.

Among the opponents is gay Conservative MP Conor Burns, a close friend of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. He told a reporter, “I marvel at why we’re bringing this forward. There is no clamor for this at all within the gay community.”

The U.K. currently offers marriage-like civil partnerships to gay couples, but some citizens are indeed clamoring for marriage rights, considering civil partnerships separate and unequal. Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have said they would like to see Parliament vote on the marriage equality bill in the next few weeks.