Happy Anniversary: UK Gay Marriage One Year On -- Business Gets on Board

The United Kingdom this week marks one year since the start of its lesbian and gay civil partnerships registration scheme. Whether this ought to be called gay 'marriage' or not is a largely moot point these days as research reveals that many more gays and lesbians are expected to take the plunge and enter into civil partnerships over the coming years. pogoplum is a gay weddings business that provides lesbians and gay men with the information they need to enter into their Civil Partnerships.

London, UK (PRWEB) December 20, 2006 -- For the past year, lesbians and gay men have been flocking to the altar in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

According to newly released government figures, a total of 14,084 partnerships took place in England, a further 537 in Wales, 942 in Scotland and 109 in Northern Ireland. The first day that most couples could form a civil partnership was 19 December 2005 in Northern Ireland, 20 December 2005 in Scotland and 21 December 2005 in England and Wales.

In fact, more than 30,000 people have walked down the aisle -- far outstripping the original government estimates of only 22,000 being in civil partnerships by 2010.

As of September 2006, a total of 15,672 civil partnerships have now taken place across the UK.

This has led to the rise of new specialised businesses to cater for what is a multi-million pound new gay weddings industry centered on gay marriages.

One of these is pogoplum (www.pogoplum.com), a lesbian-run business that provides a one-stop shop for lesbians and gay men wanting to navigate their way into civil partnerships.

pogoplum Managing Director Christina Harrison-Flynn believes that the UK is set to see many thousands of more lesbian and gay couples entering into wedded bliss as Civil Partnership laws enter into their second year.

"Official estimates initially suggested that the numbers of gay weddings would be far lower," said Harrison-Flynn. "What we are seeing is that every single day in the UK, an average of 57 couples register their civil partnerships. That is a huge new lesbian and gay weddings segment that just didn't exist a year ago."

Research by gay marketing specialist Out Now Consulting suggests that the UK needs to get used to same sex marriage rites. According to the 2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Survey, up to 274,000 couples in the UK say they intend to take the plunge and get hitched over coming years.

"We think the past year is just the start of it," according to Harrison-Flynn. "With many lesbians and gay men across the UK about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, many thousands more are sizing up taking the plunge and getting hitched. It really is great that the UK has taken a step like this to give gay and lesbian people this right, which most others in our society just take for granted. It is excellent to see so many people in love benefiting from the change in the UK laws. We think that's just wonderful."

The UK is home to an estimated 3 million lesbians and gay men, who last year earned more than £70 billion annual income (Source: 2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Survey).

pogoplum is a gay weddings business that provides lesbians and gay men with the information they need to enter into their Civil Partnerships. Providing a range of services and information, from practical matters to legal issues, while also addressing the romantic and fun aspects of gay marriage, pogoplum has quickly established a reputation as a leading UK source of knowledge and assistance with Civil Partnerships for gays and lesbians.

Citation of '2005 Out Now Diva and Gay Times Readers Survey' required if that data is used in reporting

Six percent of the UK adult population is estimated to be lesbian or gay. Source: Official Whitehall figure, Nov 2006

For further information, please contact:

Christina Harrison-Flynn, Managing Director
pogoplum
http://www.pogoplum.com
Telephone: +44-(0)7748 94 1111

Ian Johnson, Managing Director
Out Now Consulting
http://www.OutNowConsulting.com
Telephone: +32-(0)4737 60886

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