Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times, looks at the ins and outs of gay marriages and gay divorces

Does this mean that Britain has legalised gay marriage?

According to the Church, the Government - and all other bodies concerned with "keeping up appearances" - no. Under no circumstances, they say, should this be seen as "gay marriage".

According to the gay rights organisation Stonewall, however, "to all intents and purposes, yes". Stonewall says: "With civil partnerships, you get every right and every privilege - and every responsibility - straight couples get when they marry. It's the same thing. You can even ask your relations for toasters."

So what is the difference? Well, non-consummation does not count as grounds for dissolution, and nor does sexual infidelity. However, if repeated adultery led to the relationship becoming intolerable for one of the partners, that could be grounds for divorce. Another difference is that heterosexual couples can choose to marry in a place of worship. This choice is not available to civil partners.

What legal rights will gay couples gain?

Civil partners will get the same tax rights, inheritance rights and pension rights as married couples. They will also get next-of-kin rights, including exemption from testifying against a partner in court and the right to compensation in case of a fatal accident, and rights in relation to a partner's children. There will be big savings for gay couples from the right to inherit property tax free.

What legal penalties might they face?

A court will be able to order similar maintenance payments to those currently granted to married couples in relation to partners and children after dissolution. If they own two properties, like married couples they will have to declare one their secondary residence, making it subject to capital gains tax.

So in a few years will we be seeing the first gay divorces?

Technically they will be called dissolutions. Couples will have to give the partnership at least a year before they can apply for one.

How popular are these civil partnerships proving?

Nearly 1,000 couples are expected to make the trip to a register office today to give notice for a ceremony on the first day it becomes possible, 21 December. More than 400 couples have pre-registered in Brighton alone, with hundreds more in Islington, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond in London, and several dozen in Edinburgh and Glasgow. A study by marketing firm Out Now Consulting estimates that the gay wedding market will be worth £600 million a year in a pink pound economy valued at £5 billion. The internet company Pink Products, set up by Ben Spence to cater for gay marriages, is receiving 3,000 hits a day.

Is there still opposition and disapproval?

The primary opposition is from the religious bodies, with the exception of Liberal Judaism, which has published a gay wedding liturgy for use in its synagogues.

The Church of England has banned gay blessing ceremonies, although has told clergy they can pray for and with couples. Also, although the Church cannot legally prevent clergy from entering into civil partnerships, it has warned them that they must expect to be asked for reassurances that their relationships are not sexual.

On the other hand, clergy have been told that when it comes to gay couples in the laity, they are not allowed to intrude into their private lives and ask about their sex lives. This policy, particularly in regard to gay clergy, has got the Church into trouble with conservatives in the wider Anglican Communion. In a recent letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, signatories from the Global South group of developing world archbishops, headed by Nigeria's Peter Akinola, denounced this as giving the appearance of "evil".

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