The United Kingdom joins the civilized world

I'm obviously referring to the legalization of civil union ceremonies in the UK, starting this week, first in Northern Ireland, then in Scotland, and finally in England and Wales.

The biggest name to attract attention in the papers was obviously that of Sir Elton John, who "married" his longtime companion David Furnish.

The reason I'm putting the word marriage in quotes is that:

[The Civil Partnership Act] means same-sex couples can have their relationships recognised in law for the first time.

It also provides registered gay and lesbian couples with a number of legal rights and entitlements already held by heterosexual couples in civil marriages.
[...]
Couples will benefit from a major change in next of kin status and inheritance tax and pension rights.
[...]
The couples will be granted new rights in areas such as employment, pension and inheritance. But the partnerships are not officially regarded as marriages under UK law.

So it's definitely not perfect, but it's a good start, that puts the UK ahead of many other European countries (though some are ahead of it, like Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands) and certainly of the US.

A good week for gay civil rights.