Gay rights legislation - Time to strike a blow for freedom

The implementation of the Civil Partnership Act in Northern Ireland - allowing same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship and granting them legal protection in areas such as employment, pensions and inheritance - highlights the need for similar legislation in this jurisdiction.

The new law amounts to recognising an alternative lifestyle.

The partnerships are not officially recognised as gay marriages, though those involved may inevitably depict their civil arrangements as such. When the law comes into force in England and Wales tomorrow, some people will, no doubt, be turned off by media coverage of the comparative rash of such arrangements.