Straight British couple seeks ’gay’ partnership

Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle

Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle are in love and want to tie the knot - but they don’t want to get married.

The 26-year-old Londoners think they should be allowed to have a civil partnership, a form of legal union available in Britain only to same-sex couples. Gay rights activists are backing the couple’s bid in an attempt to legalize gay marriage.

Activist Peter Tatchell says "denying heterosexual couples the right to have a civil partnership is heterophobic."

Marriage and civil partnership are virtually identical in law, and activists think both should be open to all couples.

Doyle and Freeman are applying for a permit Tuesday from their local town hall. They say they will go to court if they are refused.

Britain introduced civil partnerships in 2005.

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