Gay Marriage …. Again

[naomi24]

With the gay marriage debate taking place tonight in parliament, despite the numerous threads on the subject, I’ve yet to see one valid reason for opposition. Does anyone have one? Please, if you see no problem in it, don’t answer. I just want a valid reason for opposing it – and simply not liking the idea does not qualify as a valid reason.

[Khandro]

new judge; //the function of Parliament is to facilitate the provision of things that the electorate does like and legislate against things that they don’t.//
Not really, in that case we would soon have a house run by it's nursery. Surely the function of parliament is to do what is 'right' for the country. The electorate is not cognisant of what underlies most major issues whereas parliamentarians are, (or should be.)
They have already done that by the introduction of civil partnership, homosexual marriage is definitely, imho, wrong for the country as a whole.

[sir.prize]

woofgang: yes society changes, but Nature doesn't.

My historic dictionary says - Sex (noun): Sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse.

''Gay people practice 'safer' sex but merely just fiddle around.'' quote: Beverly Whipple (professor emerita and sexologist)

[jackthehat]

Am I missing something, here?

If a gay couple have children how will the fact whether the adults are married or not have any impact on Modeller's *fears*? They'll still be the children of a gay relationship.

[mushroom25]

//the new law which will provide for religious organisations to opt out of performing same sex marriages is very likely to be challenged (especially if the organisation concerned is the established Church of England) and a challenge, in my view, is very likely to succeed. //

as I read the BBC's interpretation of the bill, the CofE, as established church, currently has to conduct marriage for whosoever requests it. Thus the bill will expicitly ban the CofE (and the Church of Wales, unless the Lord Chancellor decrees otherwise) from conducting same-sex marriages, since doing so would contravene canon law (which itself has legal status). Thus legally the CofE does not have the opt out option available to it.

If that's the case, would such an arrangement be as susceptible to ECHR challenge as a religious order who chooses to opt out?

[modeller]

woofgang //Index and modeller, are you saying that gay people don't have sex now and that gay couples don't raise children now???? //

Thank you ! You have made my point .!
Many of those children are currently having problems. As one teenager said to me " I can't take my friends home and they think I must be queer too, I'll be glad when I can leave home. " He did a few months later.

I knew a teenage girl who told every one she had lost her parents and was being brought up by her 'uncles '. She would have been devastated had it been known her uncles were 'married'.
I should add I met the 'parents' in both those cases and they were perfectly nice people doing their best for the children.

[jackthehat]

From two children talking to you, you extrapolate that huge swathes of children being brought up in same-sex relationships must be similarly troubled?

And I ask, again, what has that to do with the Gay-marriage issue?

[daisya]

Modeller that's an interesting thing to read, I've often wondered how children brought up in same sex relationships feel about it as they get older.

[ummmm]

My mate's mum is gay. They never expressed concern or embarrassment about it and have managed to turn out perfectly well adjusted women with a continued strong bond with their mother.

[modeller]

Changing the subject slightly . H

[modeller]

How about adultery ? Is adultery recognised in a civil parnership ?

[missnemesis]

///Marriage is not the narrow world of two people it involves the whole of society which ,strange as it seems to some, includes the Children.///

Modeller I'd be really interested to know how my being married has affected your life? Or that of anybody else for that matter? Excepting my husband of course.

[jackthehat]

Modeller - Under present legislation, no.
Which is why there are moves afoot to alter the wording to encompass *all* marriages.

[coccinelle]

Just a question out of the blue in all this: would it be acceptable that two sisters or two brothers marry? They wouldn't be having children together so what would be the problem?

[rockyracoon]

Speaking of kids growing up with same sex parents, this young man tells it the way he sees it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q

[jackthehat]

For the same reason that brothers and sisters are NOT presently allowed to marry each other.......regardless of the fact as to whether there will be any children in the equation.

[coccinelle]

But a brother and a sister could have children so this is against the law, but the next step from same sex marriage could be brothers and sisters marrying surely, as there woiuld no offspring from them.

[coccinelle]

'would be no' ^^

[jackthehat]

I don't believe that allowing same-sex weddings is the slippery slope to condoning or legalising incest!

There may be very good biological reasons for preventing close-kin from having children together and this has developed into the present laws on Incest [let alone matters of good taste] but allowing gay couples to marry isn't about to shepherd in an era of complete moral abandonment!

[missnemesis]

Och rocky don't spoil it for the naysayers by showing them just how amazing the children of gay couples can be, as in your link. I for one would be incredibly proud if that young man were a friend/relation of mine.

[Davethedog]

Sorry I am missing something here, if a brother and sister married why would there be no offspring? And it isn't the samething at all