Gay Marriage

The coalition government is hoping to have gay marriage introduced by the end of the year, this would complete Cameron’s modernising of the Tory party and bring them into the 21^st century. The problem is that it has strong opposition, with the strongest opponents being most churches and many of his own MPs. In the UK today, homosexuals are the only group of people who are legally discriminated against, to equalise gay marriage would bring the final pillar of discrimination crashing down.

I am an ardent supporter of gay marriage and I don’t see any intelligent argument that runs against gay marriage. The government’s bill will not force churches to perform gay marriages, so they do not have that reason to oppose it. Also, it is important to note that there are large portions of the church, especially the liberal wing of the Anglican church that actually support gay marriage, so the entire establishment of churches are not opposed.  I thought the way David Cameron presented his views on the subject was perfect, he said “I do not support gay marriage despite being a Conservative; I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.” He actually makes a very valid point when he says this, he believes that because he is a Conservative that he should strengthen the institution of marriage, and to that he must extend it to homosexuals. It makes a lot of sense too, gay people can be in loving, committed, relationships just like straight people and it would be a mistake to think that it would weaken the institution. The people that are calling gay marriage a “weakening of the institution” remind me of those opposed to interracial marriage during the Civil Rights movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s.  Linked to this is the idea that marriage is a universal institution, dating back to the dawn of civilisation and stretching across the globe with the idea that it is between a man and a women, they couldn’t be more wrong. It is a fact that many civilisations have had gay marriage, from Papua New Guinea, to American Indians to Romans to the Chinese. The fact is that the definition of marriage has changed a thousand and one times since its first inception but one thing has always been there, that it is between loving people. And that will never change.

I have a hint for people who oppose gay marriage… Don’t get one. It’s not going to affect you or your daily lives, it will only affect your children if they are gay, society will not change when gay marriage gets passed. The only people who will be affected by gay marriage are gay people, who will no longer be treated as second class citizens by the law and it will be a great day for democracy in Britain when it is introduced.