Celebrities and LGBTQ+ advocates are calling for humanist marriages to be formally recognized in England and Wales, arguing that their unofficial status discriminates against same-sex couples. Humanist celebrants have a long tradition of conducting unofficial same-sex weddings, going back decades before the law was changed to allow them in 2013. Despite the government considering making changes for a decade, it has yet to act.
In a letter to the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, Stephen Fry and Sandi Toksvig – both humanists themselves – along with the chairs of the Conservative party’s affiliated LGBTQ+ group, Elena Rose Bunbury, and her Labour and Liberal Democrat equivalents, argue that legal recognition of humanist marriages would have a profound impact. According to the 2021 census, 63% of lesbian, gay or bisexual people in England and Wales have “no religion”, almost twice the rate among straight people.
Methodists, Quakers, and Unitarians are among the religious groups that offer same-sex marriages, but the Church of England does not. Humanist marriages remain unrecognised in England and Wales in part because the law governing register office weddings prohibits any religious content, and religion has been taken to include humanism under the Human Rights Act. Additionally, official weddings in England and Wales cannot include a reading reflecting the humanist tenet that life is short, nothing follows it, and so people need to make the most of their time.
Humanist weddings are entirely bespoke, frequently involve symbolic rituals such as “hand-fasting,” and can take place in any location, all of which takes them outside current marriage laws. Currently, anyone wanting a humanist wedding must also book a second civil ceremony to be legally married, adding hundreds of pounds to the cost.
The call for change is being backed by Nancy Kelley, the chief executive of Stonewall, the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, and the Terrence Higgins Trust. Official figures show that about 1,100 unofficial humanist weddings are conducted in England and Wales annually, more than Jewish weddings and about the same number as Baptist weddings. Humanist weddings were made legal in Scotland in 2005, in Northern Ireland and Jersey in 2018, and in Guernsey in 2021.
Last year, a government-commissioned review of laws on weddings concluded that the rules are “confusing, out-of-date and restrictive,” particularly those preventing the use of different venues such as beaches and cruise ships. The Law Commission also called for “a path to legalizing non-religious belief ceremonies, such as humanist weddings, in England and Wales.”
The Ministry of Justice argues that allowing humanist weddings would require the creation of a new category of marriage, known as “belief marriage.” It says rushing through changes to make humanist marriage legally binding would not address other issues in marriage law, which affect other groups such as Hindus and Muslims whose religious ceremonies are not recognized in law.