The final step to marriage equality takes place on Wednesday, December 10 2014. This is the date when anyone in a civil partnership can convert to a marriage if they choose to do so. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act came into effect at the start of the year, on Saturday, March 29, 2014. However at that time there was no legal way for couples in civil partnerships to be married. This inequality will be rectified when conversions begin this December.