Fewer same-sex marriages in Bradford than before the pandemic, new figures show

Fewer same-sex couples married in Bradford in 2022 than before the coronavirus pandemic, latest figures show.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics, which were released during Pride Month, show 31 same-sex couples married in Bradford in 2022 – down from 34 in 2019.

However, in England and Wales, more same-sex marriages have taken place than in any year since it was legalised.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2014, the number of couples marrying nationally has grown steadily since then, including 7,800 in 2022, the highest figure on record and more than 10% higher than in any other year.

Campaign group Out4Marriage said the rapid growth rate of same-sex marriage nationally illustrated why legalizing it “was so important”.

Benjamin Cohen, co-founder of Out4Marriage, said: “Far from devaluing the institution of marriage, as some opponents argued at the time, same-sex marriage has enhanced and preserved the institution of marriage in our country.”