Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

has been legal in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

since 22 July 2016. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples passed the

House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in Lat ...

on 8 March 2016 and the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

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 othe ...

on 13 July and took effect on 22 July. The Isle of Man was the first

Crown Dependency The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and toge ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to legalise same-sex marriage. The Isle of Man has also recognised same-sex

civil partnerships A civil union (also known as a Civil partnership in the United Kingdom, civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. Civi ...

providing several, but not all, of the rights and benefits of

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

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. It was introduced via the Civil Partnership Act 2004, ''Civil Partnership Act 2004'' by the Labour govern ...

are recognised by the

Department of Health and Social Care The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the s ...

for pension purposes. The other rights of a civil partnership were not provided. In March 2009,

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Tony Brown announced that civil partnerships, known in Manx as (), or (), 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

. 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

. 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 Vice Admiral Sir Paul Kenneth Haddacks, (born 27 October 1946) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Navy who served as Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 2005 to 2011. Early life Haddacks was born on 27 October 1946. He was educat ...

, and took effect on 6 April 2011. Same-sex marriages from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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

Legislative action

On 9 June 2015, Chief Minister

Allan Bell Allan Robert Bell (born 20 June 1947) is a Manx politician who was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man from 2011 until 2016, having been elected to that position on 11 October 2011. He was an Independent Member of the House of Keys for Ra ...

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 legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

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

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

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

public consultation Public consultation, public comment, or simply consultation, is a process by which members of the public are asked for input on public issues. This can occur in public meetings open to all (such as town hall meetings) in written form (such as in ...

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 (), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald () 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 of Keys and the indirectly chosen Leg ...

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

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 Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

recommending that the bill be promptly introduced to the House of Keys for consideration. The bill had its

first reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

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

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 (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

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. 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. 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 Alex 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. The ''Marriage and Civil Partnership (Amendment) Act 2016'' (, ) contains a provision stating that: : :''(In the law of the Island, marriage has the same effect in relation to same sex couples as it has in relation to opposite sex couples.'')

Subsequent changes

In August 2023, Tanya August-Phillips announced her intention to introduce legislation granting automatic recognition to same-sex parents and allow both parents to be named on a

birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the Childbirth, birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation ...

. The proposal would bring the Isle of Man's laws in line with the United Kingdom's ''

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (c. 22) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act constitutes a major review and update of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The Guardian described the bill as a ‘ ...

''. A draft bill was introduced to the Legislative Council in June 2024.

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

On 15 November 2023, the

General Synod of the Church of England The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...

, which has one

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

in the Isle of Man, voted to allow clergy to bless same-sex marriages. The measure, which passed with a one vote majority, took effect on 17 December 2023. 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 Protestantism, Protestant List of Christian denominations, Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodism, Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council. M ...

, has allowed its ministers to conduct same-sex marriages since 2021. The Methodist Conference voted 254 to 46 in favour of the move in June 2021. A freedom of conscience clause allows ministers with objections to opt out of performing same-sex weddings. In November 2023, two congregations of the Methodist Church, the Trinity Methodist Church and the Promenade Methodist Church, both in Douglas, announced they would be performing same-sex marriages in their local churches. The smaller

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...

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

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

formally expressed support for same-sex marriage in 2009.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * {{Status of same-sex unions LGBTQ rights in the Isle of Man

2016 in LGBTQ history