Wales

LONDON — Britain on Wednesday legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval, clearing the way for the first same-sex weddings next summer.

LONDON — The upper chamber of the British parliament, the House of Lords, voted Monday to back the government plans to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron has reaffirmed his support for same-sex marriage in a message to mark gay and lesbian Pride Day.

LONDON — The upper chamber of the British parliament, the House of Lords, voted Tuesday to back the government plans to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

LONDON — British lawmakers on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage championed by Prime Minister David Cameron, despite stronger-than-expected opposition from within his Conservative Party.

LONDON — Conservative Party members in Britain have written to their leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, to urge him to delay a parliamentary vote on gay marriage.

LONDON — The British government published a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, and said lawmakers will get their first vote on it in Parliament next month.

CARDIFF, Wales – A lonely 64-year-old widower called a “lost soul” after his wife died in 2008 turned to a gay website for companionship, a fateful decision that led to his brutal murder in January.

EDINBURGH, Scotland — The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and the most senior Catholic in the United Kingdom has declared “war on gay marriage” pledging to spend another £100,000 in its campaign against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Scotland.

The North Wales Police Department on Friday said that it will be reinforcing its commitment to equality and diversity by displaying rainbow flag stickers at police front counters across its jurisdiction to encourage LGBTQ people to report anti-gay bias-based crimes.

The United Kingdom will become the latest country to lift the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, relaxing a policy that officials said does not improve the safety of the blood supply.

Marriage equality advocates are planning a demonstration at Buckingham Palace on Monday to raise awareness that that same-sex couples in Britain are still banned from getting married, and to deliver a giant wedding card to Prince William and Kate Middleton ahead of their wedding on Friday.

British health officials said Sunday that gay men will soon be allowed to donate blood for the first time, provided they are not sexually active.

The British government is expected to announce full marriage equality for gays and lesbians under reforms to marriage laws expected to be announced later this week by the Liberal Democrat equality minister, Lynne Featherstone.