Section 25B — Equality Act 2010: Marriage and civil partnership: Scotland

Marriage and civil partnership: Scotland 25B 1 An approved celebrant does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to solemnise a relevant Scottish marriage for the reason that the marriage is the marriage of two persons of the same sex. 1A An approved celebrant does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to solemnise a relevant Scottish marriage for the reason that the marriage is the marriage of two persons of the opposite sex who are in a civil partnership with each other.

2 An approved celebrant does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to register a relevant Scottish civil partnership for the reason that the approved celebrant does not wish to register civil partnerships generally, or those between two persons of the same sex, or those between two persons of the opposite sex .

3 A person does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to participate in a religious or belief ceremony forming part of, or connected with, the solemnising of a relevant Scottish marriage for the reason that the marriage is the marriage of two persons of the same sex. 3A A person does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to participate in a religious or belief ceremony forming part of, or connected with, the solemnising of a relevant Scottish marriage for the reason that the marriage is a marriage of two persons of the opposite sex who are in a civil partnership with each other.

4 A person does not contravene section 29 only by refusing to participate in a religious or belief ceremony forming part of, or connected with, the registration of a relevant Scottish civil partnership for the reason that the person does not wish to participate in such ceremonies in relation to civil partnerships generally, or those between two persons of the same sex, or those between two persons of the opposite sex .

5 For the purposes of this paragraph, a person is an approved celebrant for the purposes of both marriage and civil partnership whether the person is an approved celebrant within the meaning of section 8(2)(a) of the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 or section 94A(4)(a) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

6 In this paragraph— “relevant Scottish civil partnership” means a religious or belief civil partnership within the meaning of section 94A(4)(b) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004; “relevant Scottish marriage” means a religious or belief marriage ... within the meaning of section 8(2)(a) of the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977.