Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 is a UK Act of Parliament that legalized same-sex marriage in England and Wales. It received royal assent on July 17, 2013, and the first same-sex weddings took place on March 29, 2014. The law let same-sex couples marry in civil ceremonies and, where a religious organization chose to opt in, in religious ceremonies too, while protecting groups that did not want to take part. It followed years of campaigning by groups such as Stonewall. Scotland passed its own separate law that came into force in late 2014, and Northern Ireland followed in 2020.