Same-sex marriage in the Isle of Man has been legal since 22 July 2016. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the House of Keys on 8 March 2016 and the Legislative Council on 26 April. It received

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

on 13 July and took effect on 22 July. The

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

, a Crown dependency of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, has recognised same-sex civil partnerships, providing several of the rights and benefits of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, since 6 April 2011.

Civil partnerships

As of 2005, couples who have entered into a

civil partnership in the United Kingdom Civil partnership in the United Kingdom is a form of civil union between couples open to both same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples. History Civil partnerships were introduced for same-sex couples under the terms of the Civil Partnershi ...

are recognised by the

Department of Health and Social Care The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherw ...

for pension purposes. The other rights of a civil partnership were not provided. In March 2009, Chief Minister Tony Brown announced that civil partnerships, known in Manx as (), would be introduced in the Isle of Man in October 2009. This bill would be modelled on the UK one, providing same-sex couples with nearly all of the rights and responsibilities of marriage. In February 2010, the civil partnership bill was introduced by the Manx Government and had its first reading in the House of Keys. The bill was passed 19 to 3 in its second reading on 30 March. Further progress towards the passage of the bill was due to have taken place on 27 April, but was delayed for technical reasons. The bill passed the clauses stage on 25 May, and was approved in its third reading on 22 June. On 29 June, the bill had its first reading in the Legislative Council. It passed second reading on 26 October, the clauses stage on 9 November, and third reading on 23 November. The legislation was signed into law on 15 March 2011 by Lieutenant Governor Paul Haddacks, and took effect on 6 April 2011. Same-sex marriages from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

were recognised as civil partnerships on the island from 2014 until legalisation in July 2016. In 2016, along with the legalisation of same-sex marriage, civil partnerships were opened to opposite-sex couples.

Same-sex marriage

On 9 June 2015, Chief Minister Allan Bell announced his intention to repeal the law barring

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

on the island. On 21 July, Bell ruled out holding a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

on the issue. On 2 October 2015, the Chief Minister announced a

public consultation Public consultation (Commonwealth countries and European Union), public comment (US), or simply consultation, is a regulatory process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought. Its main goals are in improving the efficiency, ...

on the issue to take place between 15 October and 13 November, with a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry to be introduced to

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House ...

in 2016, depending on the results of the consultation. In November 2015, Bell announced that the same-sex marriage bill would have its first reading in Tynwald in December 2015 and would be implemented in 2016. On 19 December, Bell said that the bill would be submitted to the House of Keys in January, with the intention of having the law take effect by summer 2016. The government response to the public consultation was published on 22 January, with the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or ...

recommending that the bill be promptly introduced to the House of Keys for consideration. The bill had its first reading in the House of Keys on 2 February 2016. On 9 February, the bill passed its second reading by a 18–4 vote. The measure passed the clauses stage on 1 March. Several amendments which would have allowed registrars to opt out of conducting same-sex marriages were rejected. One amendment the House did agree to was an amendment to allow opposite-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships. Consequently, the bill was renamed the ''Marriage and Civil Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2016''. On 8 March, the bill was approved in its third reading in a 17–3 vote. On 22 March, the bill passed its first reading in the Legislative Council in a 6–3 vote. On 12 April, the bill passed through both the second reading, in a 5–3 vote, and the clauses stage, with three amendments proposed by

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

John Quinn. The bill was approved in its final reading on 26 April by a vote of 6–3. On 10 May, the House of Keys approved the council's amendments in a unanimous 22 to 0 vote. The bill was signed in Tynwald Court on 21 June, officially becoming the ''Marriage and Civil Partnership (Amendment) Act 2016''., Some media reported that the bill was expected to be promulgated on 5 July, but it was delayed due a legal challenge lodged with the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

. However, the Cabinet Office stated that the bill would receive

in the Privy Council, and be officially proclaimed during the Tynwald sitting on 19 July. The Chief Minister said that the UK European Union membership referendum was the reason for the delay, and that the law would take effect on 22 July. The law indeed received royal assent by

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Adam Wood in the Privy Council on 13 July and was proclaimed on 19 July. It took effect three days later. The first same-sex marriage to be registered on the Isle of Man was that of Marc and Alan Steffan-Cowell, who converted their civil partnership into a marriage on 25 July 2016. The first same-sex marriage ceremony on the island occurred on 30 July between Luke Carine and Zak Tomlinson in the coastal town of Ramsey.

Statistics

There were 351 marriages performed on the Isle of Man in 2018, of which 6 (1.7%) were between same-sex couples.

Religious performance

The second largest

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

on the island, the

Methodist Church of Great Britain The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical as ...

, has allowed its ministers to conduct same-sex marriages since 2021. The Methodist Conference voted 254 to 46 in favour of the move. A freedom of conscience clause allows ministers with objections to opt out of performing same-sex weddings. The smaller

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

has allowed its churches to perform same-sex marriages since 2016.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * {{LGBT unions and rights in the territories of the United Kingdom LGBT rights in the Isle of Man Same-sex marriage in the Crown Dependencies 2016 in LGBT history