Andrew McKie is right that the large majority of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, people supported the Civil Partnership Act ("Cameron's stance on gay marriage is out of touch", The Herald, February 4).

But he is wrong to say LGBT people have not been calling for equal marriage law. Civil partnership gives important legal protections, but it is certainly not equality.

It really would not do to characterise this as a "Notting Hill dinner party topic".

The Equality Network bases our campaigns on what LGBT people tell us are their priorities. Since as long ago as 2000, LGBT people have been asking us to work for same-sex marriage.

Our main campaign started in 2009, once other urgent issues like hate crime law had been dealt with. By that time, 85% of LGBT people we surveyed across Scotland were saying that equal marriage law was a priority.

And it's not just LGBT people calling for this. The Scottish Youth Parliament chose equal marriage as a priority campaign in their manifesto, based on consultation with 42,800 young people across the country.

Young people in particular can't understand why Scotland is so far behind our European neighbours in correcting what to very many is an inexplicable unfairness.

Tim Hopkins,

Director,

Equality Network,

30 Bernard Street,

Edinburgh.