Northern Ireland’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriage does not violate the rights of couples affected, the Belfast High Court ruled on Thursday, in a blow to campaigners in the only part of the United Kingdom that bans gay marriage.
The case was brought by three same-sex couples, backed by campaigners who are trying to pressure the region’s largest party, the socially conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to reverse its veto on same-sex marriage.