Thank goodness the Guardian is finally supporting the campaign to extend civil partnerships to straight couples, and not just gay people. Sadly, though, your leader (14 February) was wrong to say Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan will be in the appeal court later this month arguing for a right to a civil partnership. They already did just that on 2 November, when a sizeable demo, including Peter Tatchell, and the couple’s Lib Dem MP, joined many straight couples outside the high court to campaign for a change in the law. The Guardian failed to cover this event – as did every other newspaper – despite the fact this issue affects 3.3 million people in the UK – your own figures. Rebecca and Charles, plus every one of those 3.3 million, are still waiting for a judgment. My partner and I, who have been together for over 40 years, were both outside the court, as we believe it is iniquitous to deny heterosexuals the right to civil partnerships, while the gay population – quite rightly – now has the right to marry as well as have civil partnerships. This must be a gross infringement of the discrimination laws on the basis of sexual orientation or gender. Our relationship has lasted a lot longer than many marriages – an institution surely devalued by the fact that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce.
AS Chamings
Iden, East Sussex
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