British Prime Minister David Cameron
says he's proud of a law legalizing gay marriage in Britain and
Wales.
In an op-ed published in the London
Evening Standard a day after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal
stamp of approval to the legislation, Cameron said passage spoke
volumes about the “the society that we are and the society that we
want to live in – one which respects individuals regardless of
their sexuality.”
(Related: Queen
Elizabeth signs British gay marriage bill.)
“If a group is told again and again
that they are less valuable, over time they may start to believe it,”
wrote
Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party. “In addition to the
personal damage that this can cause, it inhibits the potential of a
nation. For this reason too, I am pleased that we have had the
courage to change.”
Cameron added that the fight for LGBT
rights was not over: “There are subjects we must continue to
tackle: not least taking a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic
bullying, and caring for elderly members of the LGBT community.”
“As the sun shines this week on our
country, the LGBT community now know that the unique bond of marriage
is available to them. As Lord Alderdice put it when arguing for
civil partnerships in 2004: 'One of the most fundamental rights of
all is the right to have close, confiding, lasting, intimate
relationships. Without them, no place, no money, no property, no
ambition – nothing – amounts to any value. It seems to me a
fundamental human right to be able to choose the person with whom you
wish to spend your life and with whom you wish to have a real bond.'”
“I couldn't agree more. Yesterday
was an historic day,” Cameron added.