NEWS FLASH

Scottish Government Will Introduce Gay Marriage | After a government consultation which produced a record 77,508 responses, ministers in the Scottish government confirmed they would bring forward a bill in Parliament on same-sex marriage, making Scotland the first part of the UK to move towards marriage equality. According to Scotland’s deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the government is “committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal.” Scotland’s landmark announcement comes at a time when many felt the government was stalling on its promise to introduce legislation. Although 64 percent of Scots support same-sex nuptials, the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland recently spent another £100,000 ($154,000) on an unsuccessful “war on gay marriage” ad campaign. If the marriage bill makes it through Parliament, the earliest ceremonies would take place in the start of 2015.

– Steven Perlberg