Latest News: Brighton & Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on same sex marriages

The first same sex marriage in Brighton & Hove, and one of the first in the country, took place just after midnight on Saturday 29 March. It’s a huge milestone in the fight for equality for same sex couples. I’m proud that our city, with our reputation for tolerance and diversity, is at the forefront of recognising this leap forward.

Greens were the first party to argue that all couples, regardless of their gender, sexuality or faith should be able to choose between marriage and a civil partnership. After a long campaign for equal marriage, legislation was finally passed in parliament last year to allow people of the same sex who love each other and want to marry to do so.

Brighton & Hove is already the second most popular place in the UK for civil partnerships, with the most recent figures showing that about 220 take place a year. Many residents and visitors alike chose our city as the place they want to celebrate their special day, which is no surprise with all Brighton & Hove has to offer.

However, when the national Same Sex Couples Act came into effect on Saturday, the same rights that heterosexual couples have always had were finally given to same sex couples. I hope that many more people will choose our city as the place to get married – whether in one of our many wedding venues or in a place of faith. We’d also like to see further reform to allow everyone – whether same sex or opposite sex couples – to choose between civil partnerships or marriage.

But in the meantime, this is a great opportunity to celebrate the enormous step forward that equal marriage represents, and I hope you’ll join me in congratulating the happy couples that tied the knot on this historic day.