The Scottish Government has recently published details of its Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, which will give same-sex couples in Scotland the right to marry.
Health Secretary Alex Neil described the publication of the Bill as a historic moment for Scotland and for equal rights.
"A marriage is about love, not gender. And that is the guiding principle at the heart of this bill,” he commented.
The Bill contains a number of protections for religious bodies and individual celebrants to ensure their individual beliefs are respected.
Under the plans, religious bodies who wish to perform same-sex marriage will have to opt in. If a body does decide to perform same-sex marriages, protection will also be in place for individual celebrants who consider such ceremonies to be contrary to their faith.
To ensure that the right to freedom of speech is unaffected, the Crown Office has published advice to clarify that criticism of same-sex marriage is not in itself an offence, nor is the expression of religious views.
The Scottish Government aims to obtain Royal Assent for the Bill in early 2014, which will mean that the first same-sex marriages could take place in 2015.
