Plans to give marriage-like rights to gay, lesbian and bisexual couples will devalue marriage, says a national Christian charity today. The Christian Institute also says that the plans unfairly discriminate against family relationships, such as two sisters, who have lived together for years looking after each other.

Director of The Christian Institute, Colin Hart, added to his comments made on Radio 4 Today this morning by saying:

"The Government has said this is not 'gay marriage'. But the fact is, these plans do equate gay liaisons with the honourable estate of matrimony. If the special benefits of marriage are given to those in homosexual relationships, then marriage becomes devalued.

"These proposals only apply to gays, lesbians and bisexuals. What about other house-sharers? What about two spinsters who have lived together for 40 years, will they have to pretend to be lesbians in order to get the legal benefits? What about a daughter who looks after her elderly mother for ten years? She would have to pay inheritance tax. She has no right to inherit her mother's tenancy. These plans privilege the 50,000 gay households but ignore the 3.4 million people who share a home.

"In any case, most homosexual people don't seem to want to register their relationship. In London, Ken Livingstone's much trumpeted register has only been signed by 365 couples (including heterosexual ones). In Denmark, which has had a civil partnership register since 1989, only 1.7% of homosexual people have signed up to a partnership."

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Note for Editors:

The Christian Institute, Registered Charity No 100 4774 seeks to promote the Christian faith in the UK
Registered Office: 26 Jesmond Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PQ

For more information contact: Colin Hart on 0191 281 5664