Britain Gay Marriage Legalized: Elton John to Finally Marry Partner David Furnish

Following Britain's legalization of gay marriage, British singer Elton John has announced that he plans to marry his long-time partner David Furnish.

During an interview on NBC's "Today Show with Matt Lauer", John, 67, reveals that he and his partner will get married in May in a small ceremony. John and Furnish were one of the first couples to become united when Britain legalized the Civil Partnership Act in December 2005, reports Reuters.

"Having our civil partnership was an incredible breakthrough for people that have campaigned for a long time - through the '60s and the '50s in England when it was so hard to be gay and hard to be open about it. And it was a criminal act," said the singer.

The Guardian reports that over the weekend, gay marriage become possible in England and Wales, a move described by David Cameron as a "historic day."

As for the legislation, the "Candle in the Wind" singer explains, "For this legislation to come through is joyous and we should celebrate it. We shouldn't just say, 'Oh, well, we have a civil partnership, we're not going to bother to get married'. We will get married."

"We'll do it very quietly. But we will do it and it will be a joyous occasion and we will have our children," reveals Elton. The pair presently have two children born via surrogate, Zachary, 3, and one-year-old Elijah, reports Yahoo!

The singer is proud of Britain in the progress it has made and the singer believes such a momentous occasion should be celebrated. John remains one of Britain's most prominent musicians and gay celebrities, and has been active in utilizing his worldwide status and fame to speak on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. Most recently, John released a 500-word statement criticizing Russia's ban on homosexual propaganda.