STUDENTS HAVE been involved in a final round of campaigning for same-sex couples to have the right to marry as the Scottish Government’s consultation period on the issue draws to a close.

Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said that a survey of public attitude in Scotland discovered that more than 60 per cent of Scottish people felt that same-sex couples should have the right to marry. If the consultation finds similar results, the Government will draft legislation which will undergo further scrutiny, before being finalised into a bill which could be presented to the Scottish Parliament in 2013. The consultation has been running since September and will conclude on December 9.

It is investigating three issues; same sex marriage, religious ceremonies for civil partnerships and whether it is ethical to force religious groups to participate.

The University of Edinburgh’s Amnesty International Society is among many groups working in support of the Scottish Government’s Same Sex Marriage Consultation.

Last Thursday the Amnesty International Group took part in an action, attracting attention for the movement and collecting completed consultation documentation which will be used by the Government in ascertaining public support for the movement.

University of Edinburgh student and Amnesty Society Chair Laura Shepherd told The Student, “No-one should be denied their human rights based on their sexuality.

“The current system also denies the rights of transgender people many of whom are currently forced to divorce in order to receive gender recognition.

“Scotland has the opportunity to be at the forefront of the international trend towards protecting the rights of same sex couples.” The Amnesty Group met and participated in a photo shoot with Edinburgh Central SNP MSP Marco Biagi.

Biagi has long supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the increase of gay representation in Parliament.

He said, “Discrimination on sexual grounds should be a thing of the past.”

He also said that among the groups showing support are several religious organisations, who are “calling for the right” to endorse civil partnerships and carry out marriages.

Among these groups are the Unitarians, Liberal Jews, Quakers, the Metropolitan Community Church and the Pagan Federation, representatives from each of which took part in a conference on marriage equality in September.

Hazel Marzetti, Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) equal opportunities officer told The Student that similar campaigns were being run by EUSA’s LGBT+ action group and BLOGS, the LGBT society. Anyone wishing to be part of the consultation should complete a form either online or in Potterrow by December 9.