United Kingdom

In England, Scotland and Wales the age of consent is 16 years old, equal to that of the heterosexual age of consent. In Northern Ireland the age of consent is currently 17, although this was changed to 16 years old in 2009. Lesbian gay and bisexual people in England, Scotland and Wales are protected by a number of laws. They are protected from discrimination at work, and from discrimination when accessing goods and services, for example, when staying in hotels or when accessing healthcare. Same-sex couples in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can form legally recognised partnerships, called civil partnerships. These give same-sex couples rights akin to those of heterosexual married couples. Stonewall's research has shown that heterosexual British people are largely in favour of lesbian and gay equality. In our Living Together research in 2007, more than a third of people said they have a high opinion of lesbians and gay men. Nine out of ten people said they want anti-gay bulling to be tackled, and nine out of ten support anti-discrimination law in the workplace. Civil partnerships have allowed same-sex couples to have the same rights as heterosexual married couples, giving same-sex relationships real credibility and stability in the eyes of the general population. David Cameron, prime minister of the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat government, has voiced his support of same-sex marriage on October 2011.