Technically it's the same, but there's a few differences, that are pretty hard to work out. Some of it is tax related, and there's also a bit about international recognition...

Basically, civil partnership is meant to be the same as marriage, but under a separate but equal ideology, only there is those slight technical differences. Also, I think the dissolution of a civil partnership is different too.

BIB 1 - Yes. And you answered your question with BIB 2 Unfortunately no they don't have the same legal rights.

Some of the more prominent legal issues include civil partners not having the same pension rights as married couples. Civil partners receive less pension in general than a married spouse would receive if one died. There's also tax implications for things like spousal relief on income taxes etc which are also reduced percentages like pensions. Travel restrictions apply to civil partners but not married couples so if for instance you moved abroad to any of the countries that already have equal marriage, you wouldn't enjoy the same rights as the 'married' gay couples over there.

Then there are other potential issues for example if a married M&F couple had one transgendered person who wanted to be recognised as their true identity legally with certification etc, they'd need to divorce and get civilly partnered etc. Another example (albeit maybe a bit trivial or whatever) is then things like the UK census where you have to state civil partnership as opposed to married etc, so if you weren't out but had secretly gotten civilly partnered or whatever, this information is public knowledge that you're gay from the census etc when the data becomes publicly available (stretching to the extreme a little I know with that but it's still valid)!

Finally, fun facts for the day for you (though you may already know these!), consummation isn't a legal requirement for civil partnerships unlike marriage and you can't dissolve a civil partnership on the grounds of adultery like you can a marriage.

Happy reading

Great day for England & Wales tomorrow! YAY!

According to the UKIP weather forecast it'll chuck it down from midnight then....

OK triviality time..

I wonder what the first celebrity gay wedding will be?

Well Tom Daley hasn't been in the headlines in a while....

Yeah the first one will probably be someone like that, and it'll be a nice, demure ceremony with friends and family.

Then later will come all the trashy Perez Hilton types with equally hideous Z List Guests

lol its a bit soon for him though isn't it? They've only been together a few months,


Eww think of the gaudiness of it all.

I wasn't being entirely serious you know.

It'll be someone who's not exactly in the limelight I reckon, like a Sandi Toksvig..

Although, I've just seen she's already renewing her vows..

haha ok.


Hmm I guess so.

Although that'd probably be a low key affair. No doubt we'll have a media frenzy for someone who's classed as higher up the 'celeb scale' (no offense to Sandi - love her on The News Quiz).

And call me an old fart, but I don't go in for these novelty big bash weddings that some seem to go for. I prefer to see a more traditionalist approach.

Deleted.

Err....have you been drinking?

Too much.

I should no have wrote that.

Haha, good day then?

Worst in a while au contraire.

How come? What's up?

I had a rather explosive argument with my friend last night, over FB no less. You know how some people do that silly "like for my thoughts on you" thing? well I messaged her later and basically asked for trouble and said "you want to know what I think of you? you're a shite friend"

It escalated and safe to say we won't be talking for a while.

And now my dad's in a mood with me because me/my mum were bitching like we do a lot about him. And I never really realised it was actually not as funny as I thought ad he seemed kind of hurt, which rarely shows. It kind of reinforces the recurring thought that I've had that all in all I'm not as nice a person I think I am.

Oh, well, sometimes we're not nice.

It's how we deal with the aftermath that shows who we are, so don't worry too much for now.

With your dad, you didn't really mean any harm, so I'm sure you can talk to him.

As for your friend, what made you ask for trouble like that? Maybe you should trust your gut and give her some distance?

The thing with my dad is minor, it's just opened a can of worms.

Basically me and her used to be the best of friends and I can't tell whether she's just moved on and i'm not her bestie anymore or if ALL my friends are just shy. No one ever initiates conversation with me or asks me out.

I feel like no one's there for me. (I know you'll say you're there for me, and don't get me wrong I'm relieved about that, but I mean people I see every day who are supposed to be my friends aren't, and my friends at college as awesome as they are, soon as we go to different colleges/uni or anything like that I'll be pretty isolated again. Even if we didn't no one can help me, only I can yet I'm probably the worst friend I could have)

I felt like I was doing well with my mindset and getting happy, now I feel like I'm turning into 15 year old Jack again.

If you can make sense of that then you're good Jase lol

Fair enough, just talk to him though, it'll solve it probably.


I get what you mean, friendships change as we move through primary school, secondary school, college, uni and so on.

There'll be other friends for you to make though. And there's no reason you can't still be like acquaintances, and get on still.

I've got two very close friends, who I might not see for say a year, but when we meet up again, it all just clicks back into place.


But when you get to uni/work/whatever you'll make new friends, and actually, that's fine, it's something that happens to everyone unfortunately.


At least you've recognised you're spiralling a bit, maybe you do need some time to like, get your head in the right place?


I gave it a go.

*sends love to you*

I'm rather rubbish at staying involved in this thread aren't I

Yes, you are.

How's it going?

It's going okay thank you, just been snowed under again lol.

How are you doing?

Just read that Robin Windsor and Marcus Collins are now dating.. didn't see that coming.