Two gay couples barred from getting married in Northern Ireland have suffered no grave breach of their human rights, the High Court heard today.
Counsel for the Stormont department under challenge in a landmark case also denied there has been any “legislative inertia” on the issue.
Grainne Close, her partner Shannon Sickles, and Chris and Henry Flanagan-Kane are taking legal action in a bid to have the ban lifted.
In 2005 they became the first couples in the UK to enter civil partnerships in ceremonies at Belfast City Hall.
Since then same-sex marriage has been legalised in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
But the prohibition remains in place within Northern Ireland.
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Photo By Kurt Löwenstein Educational Center International Team from Germany (qe07 (9)) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
