Well it has been a while since there was any postings here, so why not start with a biggie, Gay Marriage.

This has been prompted by a recent post on a friend’s blog, which has stirred up a lot of strong view points. The main basis there is that it is not allowed in the eyes of god, according to Christian beliefs. Ok, I have really shortened the explanation there, but only because I know this is going to be a very long post.

The way I see it, there are two issues here. Why should same sex people be allowed to marry, and the second being religions being against it on various grounds.

So let’s look at the first. As it currently stands, people who are in a same sex relationship do not have the same rights as heterosexual people. While there has been some changes to laws, it hasn’t gone far enough. People in a same sex relationship do not have the same rights concerning medical treatment of their spouse, the superannuation laws when a partner dies are different, and a few other minor laws here and there. Basically if you are the partner of someone, legally you are not treated as the partner, nor as the next of kin. It simply means you do not have the same rights as someone else, because of who your relationship is with.

So what does this have to do with same sex marriage, often called Gay Marriage. Well these days, and has been the case for a very long time now, a marriage is a legally binding agreement, which in layman’s terms means two people are considered one entity by the laws of the country. By denying Gay marriage, people are not allowed to legally be considered a single entity in the laws of the country. It is that simple.

Now I know what you are saying, but if Gays can marry, then they can adopt children, and that wouldn’t be a fitting environment to be in. Well that to me is a whole other issue, but here are a few bullet points on the matter:

• Children are better off having two parents, regardless of gender
• Children of heterosexual families have just as many issues as those from same sex relationships
• Having Gay parents doesn’t cause a child to become Gay themselves, but they would be more tolerant of differences in other people.
• Every Gay child has been created by a heterosexual couple, either directly, or through a test tube.

So let’s leave aside the whole adoption thing for a while, because not every Gay Marriage will result in an adoption.

Now there is the issue of religion, and religious beliefs.

I think Father Bob summed it up the best. “I’m not anti Gay marriage, the church doesn’t allow me to perform them.” That to me is the right of any church to not perform a Gay marriage, if they so choose to. After all, a marriage is a legally binding situation, and there are many more ways to get married that don’t involve a church or religion.

Now some religious people argue that god’s law doesn’t allow it. Well unfortunately for them, we don’t live in a religious rule country, we live in a secular country, where there is separation of church and state as stated in the Australian Constitution, section 116. Now anyone who wants to be against Gay marriage on the grounds of their religion is ok with me, they have that right. But because they choose to live by a set of principles, doesn’t mean they should impose those principles on others. Sure they can complain that their principles and rights are being denied, while other principles and rights are forced on them, but they are not being forced. No one is saying they have to get married to a same sex orientated person. So of two other people want to get married, why not let them? After all, there use to be a time that churches didn’t allow interracial marriages, but those times have certainly changed. Just because you don’t agree with something, or are against something, doesn’t make your view point right. Gay marriage wont affect me in the slightest way, as I have no intention of marrying someone of the same gender, why does the same not apply to religious people. After all, if we all had the right to stop anything we don’t like, based on the grounds of religious beliefs, the world wouldn’t function.

So I think at the end of the day, it’s all pretty simple. If you want to marry someone, then why should you be stopped doing it. If you want to get married in a church, well it is up to those people who run that church to allow or disallow any wedding they want to. After all, if two people want to spend the rest of their lives together, because they love each other that much, who are we to stop them? Making Gay marriage law wont cause a sudden flood as every same sex couple rushes to get married, as marriage isn’t for everyone. But at least it is a step closer to people being treated as equals in our society, and where is the harm in that?