On 20 August 2026, David Hull-Watters and Richard Hull-Watters will celebrate ten years of marriage - a milestone made possible only after years of campaigning to challenge a legal inequality affecting LGBTQ+ people in the UK.
Long before marriage equality became law, David and Richard were among the couples at the heart of the Equal Love campaign, led by veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
On 2 December 2010, the couple walked into Woolwich Register Office in south-east London and applied for a civil marriage licence, fully aware that they would be refused.
That refusal was exactly the point.
Their application became part of a landmark legal challenge that reached the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that denying same-sex couples the right to marry - and preventing opposite-sex couples from entering civil partnerships - violated fundamental human rights.
While the legal case itself did not secure an immediate victory, it became part of the growing movement that helped shift public opinion and political momentum, culminating in the introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
Almost six years after being told they could not marry, David and Richard finally exchanged vows on 20 August 2016.
Reflecting on the anniversary, David Hull-Watters said: "Our wedding wasn't simply a celebration of our relationship. It was the celebration of a right we'd been told we didn't deserve.
"Standing outside Woolwich Register Office in 2010, we knew we wouldn't be given a marriage licence. But we also knew that change only happens when ordinary people are prepared to challenge extraordinary injustice.
"Looking back now, I feel enormous pride—not because we made history, but because we were one small part of a much bigger movement of people who refused to accept that some relationships were worth less than others."
Richard Hull-Watters added: "There are moments in history that seem inevitable once they've happened, but they rarely feel inevitable at the time.
"We were fortunate to stand alongside so many courageous campaigners, particularly Peter Tatchell, whose determination and belief in equality never wavered. Every couple involved helped tell the country that equality couldn't wait."
For David, the anniversary is also a reminder that LGBTQ+ equality remains unfinished business. "Marriage equality changed lives, including ours, but around the world millions of LGBTQ+ people still face criminalisation, violence and discrimination simply for existing.
"Here in the UK we've made remarkable progress, but rights can never be taken for granted. Every generation has a responsibility to protect what has been won and continue the work where inequality remains."
Since marrying, David has become an award-winning Inclusion & Wellbeing Specialist, working with organisations across the UK and internationally to create more inclusive workplaces. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, Never Blend In, featuring interviews with leading LGBTQ+ voices including Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Cumming, Peter Tatchell and many others.
As they celebrate ten years of marriage, David and Richard hope their story serves as a reminder that legal equality is never simply handed down - it is achieved because people are willing to stand up, speak out and imagine something better.
"We didn't know in 2010 when - or even if - we would ever be allowed to marry," David reflected. "Being able to celebrate ten years together as husbands is something we'll never take for granted."
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