Len Tingle Political Editor BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

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Couple want legal recognition for their 16 year relationship

There is only one thing that has been stopping Michael Rothwell from marrying the love of his life since they first moved in together 16 years ago. Michael's partner is also a man.

Just before Christmas Michael and his boyfriend Terry George hope to change that by becoming the first gay couple in Britain to go through a ceremony at a Register Office which will see them officially recognised as partners in the eyes of the law.

"We won't be married as such, but a Civil Partnership is the closest we can get to it under the new law." said a delighted Michael.

He was speaking to the Politics Show's Len Tingle in the kitchen of the couple's home near Halifax in West Yorkshire.

"We have booked the register office for our Civil Partnership ceremony for 7.30am.

We think we will be a few minutes before Elton John who is doing the same thing in the South of England."

The change in the law means that from 5 December 2005, single sex couples will be able to legally register their intention to enter into a "civil partnership" with their local registrar of birth, marriages and death.

As with conventional heterosexual marriages the announcement then has to be published for a 15-day period before the ceremony can take place.

One of the 1000 conventional marriages each year at York register Office

"We were not sure how much interest there would be in this," says Rob Livsey the senior registrar for the city of York where around a thousand conventional marriages take place every year.

"In fact, we have already had around 40 single-sex couples expressing an interest in registering to take out a Civil Partnership".

The change in the law means that gay couples will now have many of the same legal rights as those who have gone through a marriage ceremony in the past.

This includes mutual ownership of property and the automatic right to be the legal next of kin.

The law was changed in the interests of equality according to the Government, but there are many who believe it is a step too far.

At the Church of St Michael-le-Belfrey in York the Reverend Roger Simpson, an Anglican vicar, says that his personal opinion this is where church and state are in complete disagreement.

Partnership between single sex couples is not recognised by the church

"Christian doctrine is quite clear that a marriage cannot be anything else than a freely entered partnership for life entered into by a man and a woman," he says.

"I have nothing against the gay community but marriage is simply not possible."

Back in the kitchen of their home in Halifax Terry George says people have just got to recognise that this is the 21st Century.

"After 16 years we have been a couple for much longer than the life of many heterosexual marriages.

"We want our commitment to be recognised in the eyes of the law. Like us, the gay community has been waiting to do this for a long time."

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