[this is] an historic step towards equality... The new law won't weaken marriage as an institution, rather it will strengthen it. Marriage won't be worth less because more people can take part in it

Today, Spanish society is responding to a group of people who have been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, their dignity offended, their identity denied and their freedom restricted...We are expanding the opportunities for happiness of our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends and our relatives... At the same time, we are building a more decent society

In breaking with our past... we need to fight and resist all forms of discrimination and prejudice, including homophobia.

The common law definition of marriage is declared to be inconsistent with the constitution and invalid to the extent that it does not permit same-sex couples to enjoy the status and benefits it accords heterosexual couples

[Denying same-sex couples the right to marry] is wrong and inconsistent with the values this country holds dear

We do not seek to open up marriage to same-sex couples. Instead we are creating a new legal status of civil registered partner for same-sex couples...Marriage is recognised in Scotland as a status that can only be shared between a man and a woman.

We have not created marriage by another name...We are making a different proposal for people living in different circumstances... it creates a different status... It is neither here nor there to argue whether the status is equal-people will draw their own conclusions... We are not legislating to create marriage... In policy terms, we do not believe that interfering with the notion of marriage and creating a different form of marriage would be an appropriate way of advancing the rights of people whose rights have been overlooked for too long... We are creating a new status. We are not creating anything that could be construed-or misconstrued-as marriage.

If we're to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America... The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution... Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society. Today, I call upon the Congress to promptly pass and to send to the states for ratification an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and woman as husband and wife

This is an ill-fated attempt to erode further the status of the married family by calling for full 'gay marriage'...The Government and the courts have made it clear that same-sex unions are not the same as marriage, and the law should continue to reflect this fact.

[the right to marry refers to] the traditional marriage between persons of the opposite biological sex ... There is not an evolving convergence to the effect that persons in a same-sex relationship should be allowed to contract a marriage...[the law] did not call those partnerships marriage, and that remains government policy.

There is, of course, a very large political reason why this is not officially gay marriage. Ministers are very careful to avoid using this kind of shorthand - it's almost certain that had they wanted to use such language in the legislation, the Act would have had a far harder time. They stress partnerships are an entirely new legal concept

Equality by its nature is only achieved when all things are equal. The Labour party introduced Civil Partnerships and I'm thrilled to see roughly 30,000 couples benefit from the law recognising their love and commitment. However, the campaign for full LGBT equality goes on and that requires a change to the law which allows same sex couples to marry and mixed couples to enter into civil partnership.

That's why I fully support the Equal Marriage Campaign and encourage all those with a commitment to equality and social justice to do the same.

Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are still treated as second-class citizens because of their sexual preferences and orientation. The Socialist Labour Party is committed to abolition of all laws, which discriminate against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.

Homosexual partnerships should be recognised, including legally on a par with heterosexual ones. When it comes to any aspect of criminal law, homosexual behaviour should be treated exactly the same way as heterosexuality.

Having separate institutions of marriage and civil partnership reserved to mixed-sex and same-sex couples is segregation and discrimination. Equality means providing the same choices to all couples regardless of their gender, and the Equality Network strongly supports equal access to both marriage and civil partnership

Marriage equality has been achieved elsewhere in Europe and is an important step towards liberation for all. When two LGBTQ people make a lasting commitment to each other, they deserve for its legitimacy to be recognised. Separate but equal partnership systems do not promote equality: they do exactly the opposite. IGLYO strongly supports Scotland's Equal Marriage campaign

Amnesty International fights to uphold human rights all over the world. We support the Equal Marriage campaign because gay rights are human rights - everyone has the right to love who they want to

We support equality for all. This means equal rights for all and not special rights for different groups

You've got to be strong to be different, but, when you've got love on your side, you've got the most valuable gift that there is

To deny people, created beautifully in the image of God, the right to declare God as being central to their relationship, can only be wrong. As Christians, we ask simply that the State should recognise our faith. It's simple!

The World Congress of GLBT Jews is proud to stand with progressive voices in Scotland. Marriage Equality is a key civil right that should be available to all couples regardless of sexual orientation

The opposition to this campaign will come in many forms, but a large proportion will be from religious groups claiming to be protecting family values and tradition. We should no longer tolerate such thinly-veiled prejudice and discrimination, whatever form it takes. These groups call themselves 'traditionalists'. We call them bigots.

The NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign fully supports the fight for equal marriage rights in Scotland. We would not accept a segregated system of partnership rights that discriminates on the basis of race, so why should we accept it on the basis of sexual orientation?

The message that this 'separate but equal' system sends out - intentionally or not - is that same-sex couples are different, and by implication, inferior to mixed-sex couples. It reinforces homophobic prejudice in society and does not represent equality under the law

National Student Pride supports the Equal Marriage Campaign's fight to lift the ban on same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnership in Scotland. Same-sex and mixed-sex couples should be equal under the law, but the current segregated system of partnership recognition treats same-sex couples as though they were inferior. It's about time the Scottish Government followed countries including Spain, South Africa, Canada and Norway in delivering equal marriage rights for all couples regardless of their sexual orientation.

The homophobia of the ban on same-sex marriage is compounded by the heterophobia of the ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships. These twin discriminations reinforce and extend inequality.

Since the gay community has always demanded equal rights, why should we now settle for discrimination?

Imagine the outcry there would be if the government reserved marriage for white people and introduced a separate partnership register for black couples. It would rightly provoke accusations of racism and apartheid.

Marriage and civil partnerships are a form of sexual apartheid. They enforce separate laws for heterosexuals and homosexuals, perpetuating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

We welcome the launch of the Equal Marriage Campaign in Scotland. It is an important step towards equality. A segregated system of marriage for different-sex couples and civil partnerships for same-sex couples is not equality.

We hope that the Scottish Government will heed the call for equal rights to marriage and to civil partnership for ALL couples, irrespective of their sexual orientation. True equality demands no less.

The world is moving on. Even my Church has come to a view that Christians should be allowed to make lasting vows, whatever their sexual orientation, within the church. I hope that this will be yet one more inexcusable inequality that will end up in the dustbin of history

Such clear separation is discrimination. For years campaigners have called for complete equality and it's time these calls are recognised. If the government wishes Scottish society to progress in a liberated, forward-thinking manner, these barriers between members of our society must be broken down. The Equal Marriage campaign gets to the heart of this issue and we, the Edinburgh Young Greens, put our full support behind it.

I am privileged to have a very happy marriage. I want every human being to have the same opportunity. That people should be denied a basic right because of something as fundamental to their identity as sexual orientation is a view I cannot begin to comprehend. Extending the definition of marriage to encompass same-sex partnerships does not, in my opinion, in any way detract from the special nature of that bond and commitment.

The success of civil partnerships demonstrates that there is no issue with same-sex couples having family law rights. There should be no reason then to stop short of full marriage rights under the law. Nobody is suggesting that any group be forced to marry people, but the prohibition of same-sex marriages certainly discriminates against those religions who would like to perform them. Furthermore, there is no such thing as 'separate but equal'. This campaign calls for the opening of marriage registration to same-sex couples and the opening of civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples, ending an inherent discrimination in the current family law arrangement, an aim we fully support.

Civil partnerships were a positive step forward, but while there is continued division of the law into separate systems for same-sex and mixed-sex couples inequality remains enshrined within the system. Equality is one of the founding principles of Scotland's new parliament and I would like to see Scotland lead the way on this issue.

I support the equal marriage campaign 100%. Marriage and Civil Partnership are two ways of celebrating and acknowleging comittment to a stable relatinship with one partner. Many same sex couples long to be married in the same way and with the same civil and religious recognition as heterosexual married couples. For them, Civil Partnership will always be second best. For other couples, both heterosexual and same sex, marriage is an institution which carries undesirable connotations, like posession, ownership, subjugation, and the obedience of one subordinate to a superior. That is why many same-sex couples believe that Civil Partnership is the best way of recognising their partnership. I have many heterosexual friends who have lived with partners for years, had children with them, and loved deeply and enduringly, but for whom marriage is a discredited institution.

I believe all couples should have the right to celebrate, solemnise, and legitimise their relationship in whatever way they choose, and that a civilised state would encourage them to do so.

If I am elected to the European Parliament, I will campaign for this right to apply throughout the countries of the EU.

I fully support the Equal Marriage Campaign. It is vital that the state recognises the value of love and relationships. A change in the law would send out a clear message that Scotland is committed to tackling bigotry towards gay, lesbian and transgender couples. To oppose same-sex marriage and mixed-sex civil partnerships is nothing more than prejudice.

The National Transgender Police Association are happy to support the equal marriage petition as we feel that Marriage and Civil partnership should be recognised as the same thing and not as a two tier system. Marriage and Civil Partnership is a commitment between two people regardless of gender that shows a love and trust, and the union of those two people is an affirmation of this. As transgender people, the process of achieving your chosen gender is difficult enough. May trans people however have the added burden of having to divorce there long standing partners who they are still with after re-assignment to achieve their goal. It is felt that the commitment that they have shown is weakened but such a silly procedure, and the Equal marriage campaign should see an end to this.

One of the greatest problems with the discussion of marriage and civil partnerships is the complex and entangled nature of the State and various religious bodies. This has led to enormous confusion over a simple civil contract between equal, adult, consenting citizens and religious ideas about 'appropriate' gender relations. Fundamentally, the State and society, more generally, must decide whether this is a justifiable place for state-supported 'discrimination' based on gender. Were this a question of race (e.g., black / white) or religion (Gentile / Jew), there would be no discussion at all. The question society must answer is how it can continue to discriminate in its understanding of a civil contract on the basis of gender when it would never consider doing so on the basis of race or religion.

As someone who has taken advantage of the Civil Partnership legislation, I know what an incredible difference it has made. As a result, 30,000 gay couples have benefited from the same financial and legal rights as mixed sex married couples enjoy. But while there are two different ways to access those rights there isn't true equality. While gay people of faith are denied the change to marry in church, there isn't true equality. I support the Equal Marriage Campaign as I never understand why others see a gay couple's wish to be married as anything other than a validation of the importance of marriage and commitment for couples, for families and for society.

Civil Partnerships, pioneered in Parliament by the Lib Dem Lord Lester, represent a great step forward given where we were ten or twenty years ago. But the law as it stands implies that lesbian or gay partners, and bisexuals in same-sex partnerships, need to be treated separately - as if their love and relationships are somehow different. Love is love. It's time to move on.

To me it's very straightforward - the laws of the land should be applied with fairness, and this inequality is just not acceptable.

As Liberals, we think that everyone deserves the same fair treatment regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. Any loving relationship deserves the full recognition of the state, and all the rights which go along with it. The current situation of ‘separate but equal’ is unjust, illiberal and plain wrong.