Pioneer couple are civil partners
A COUPLE who led the charge to become civil partners rather than husband and wife are among thousands making history by entering into civil partnerships.
New Year’s Eve marked the first time heterosexual couples can tie the knot in a civil ceremony instead of a marriage, following a lengthy legal battle that changed UK law.
Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan were among the first to enter into a mixed-sex union, signing their civil partnership registration at Kensington and Chelsea Register Office at 10.30am.
The couple won a legal bid at the Supreme Court in 2018, saying that a civil partnership felt more equal to them than a traditional marriage.
The option was previously only available to same-sex couples, but campaigners successfully argued that denying a mixed-sex couple the same right was discrimination.
“Today, as one decade ends and another dawns, we become civil partners in law,” Ms Steinfeld, 38, told reporters outside the building.
“Our personal wish to form a civil partnership was rooted in our desire to formalise our relationship in a more modern way, focus on equality, and mutual respect.
“So today is a unique, special and personal moment for us, a moment that we’ve been able to affirm our love and commitment to one another in the company of our beautiful children, Eden and Ariel, and close friends.”