Anglican uproar over sex-change marriages
New legislation on sex-change marriages has led to some Anglican priests threatening to resign.
The Gender Recognition Bill, which is soon to become law, will force clergy in England and Wales to allow people who have changed their sex to marry in their churches.
Traditionalist Anglicans claim the law effectively forces the Church to marry people of the same sex and have said they would rather resign their posts than allow their churches to be used.
A clause will allow clergy to refuse to carry out the weddings themselves.
Liberal Anglicans have welcomed the law, but traditionalists fear it could establish a precedent that paves the way for same-sex marriages.
The legislation means that people who have sex-change surgery – or who convince a qualified person that their body does not represent their true gender – gain the right to have their new sex recognised.
