Gay rights charity Stonewall is being urged to “end its silence” and support full marriage equality for gay and straight couples.

The organisation successfully fought for civil partnerships but has said in the past that while it is not opposed to marriage for gay couples, it does not see it as a priority and prefers to focus on issues such as homophobic bullying.

An open letter signed by a number of gay rights activists, gay religious groups and individuals will be sent to the charity on Friday to ask it to publicly support the issue.

The letter has been signed by Peter Tatchell, Liberal Democrat MP Steve Gilbert, trans campaigner Christine Burns, human rights lawyer Professor Robert Wintemute and a number of other academics, including Professors Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, a British lesbian couple who married in Canada in 2003 but whose marriage is not recognised as such in the UK.

Other signatories include straight couple Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, who have been campaigning for the right to a civil partnership, and representatives from a wide number of LGBT faith and humanist groups. An associated Facebook group has over 300 members, many of whom have signed the open letter.

A recent PinkNews.co.uk survey found that 98 per cent of respondents were in favour of allowing gay couples to marry but Stonewall declined an invitation to discuss its stance.

Continues: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/09/15/stonewall-urged-to-speak-out-for-marriage-equality/

The British Humanist Association campaigns for full equality in marriage law.