Civil Partnerships were introduced in the UK in December 2005, and give same-sex couples the same rights that they would enjoy if they were able to marry.

While many people feel there is still an asymmetry between civil partnership and marriage, it is undeniable that this was a massive step forward for LGBT rights.

There is a lot of confusion about Civil Partnership and Marriage so we have a little diagram for you:

Civil Partnership Image

Marriage however is the ‘union of a man and a woman’. Within the LGBT community this means that only bisexuals and certain trans people can get married. Lesbians, gays, other trans people and bisexuals in same-sex relationships can get a civil partnership instead.