Same-sex couples in Scotland will be able to plan New Year’s Eve weddings, the date the country’s marriage equality law finally comes into effect.
The BBC reports that Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil said gay and lesbian couples will be able to marry beginning December 31, and couples in an existing civil partnership will also be able to change their relationship to a marriage as of Dec, 16.
Scotland became the 17th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the Scottish Parliament passed the bill on Feb. 4 by an overwhelming majority.
Neil said the move was an “important signal that our nation is absolutely committed to the same rights for all our citizens.”
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Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, marriage equality became legal in England and Wales on March 29.