UK House of Commons Passes Gay Marriage

The UK's House of Commons overwhelmingly voted to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage today, by a vote of 400 to 175, the BBC reports. The bill allows religious organizations to conduct gay marriages if they so choose; same-sex couples to convert their civil partnerships to marriages; and married transsexual people to be legally recognized, in their acquired gender, without ending their marriages, CNN explains. But there are still a few more stages—including House of Lords approval—before the bill becomes law.

A number of conservative lawmakers voted against the bill, despite support from David Cameron. Three prominent conservative MPs urged their fellow party members to pass the bill in a letter published in the Telegraph today. "We believe that opening it up to same-sex couples will strengthen, not weaken, the institution," they wrote. "As David Cameron has said, we should support gay marriage not in spite of being Conservatives, but because we are Conservatives." (More gay marriage stories.)