Same sex marriage – the right to choose for everyone

| May 30, 2014

Same-sex couples are not allowed to marry in Australia yet. Gina Worldon argues that same-sex marriage should not affect anyone but the couples directly involved.

We now live in the 21st century, anything is possible, and anything goes. Society accepts that there are people who live differently and love differently. It is accepted.

Oh, wait, sorry, I was daydreaming for a moment, imagining a perfect society where everybody has equal rights and opportunities, where personal choice is embraced.

For surely it is simple. Two people love each other, they express this love freely and if they choose shall marry. 30 years ago I had this choice when I married my husband and would have been shocked to be told I had no choice in this matter. So why in this modern world can a same-sex couple be denied this obvious right? Let’s look at some facts.

Australia became a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1972, which was then ratified in 1980. According to the Australian Constitution Section 51 xxi, Parliament has the power to make laws regarding marriage. This treaty states clearly that as humans we have equality before the law with the right to privacy and family without interference either unlawful or arbitrary to the whims of government.

The High Court of Australia recognised during the Mabo court case that ‘the use of human rights law as an influence upon the development of the common law’ should also be recognised. This tells me that there is neither an international nor national ruling against same sex-marriage – it is the choice of the particular government, in this case the Australian government, to endorse.

The government sees marriage as a civic responsibility, an institution to stabilise the community.  Does this then mean that if same-sex couples marry, the institution of marriage will crumble and life as we know it will fall apart?

Some argue that marriage is a union between man, woman and God. Further that God does not like homosexuals and therefore would not allow same-sex marriage. Why do people put marriage into the context of religion? I don’t see any evidence that the marriage act is anything other than a civil union which could be held within a church but more often than not held as a non-religious ceremony.

To me it seems that the rights of those who choose to believe in God are upheld and those who presume not to are denied. Is this reasonable? We do not live in a theocracy, and as shown in the Australian Constitution there is to be a definite separation of church and state.

As I see it, same-sex marriage should not affect anyone but the couples directly involved. It is ludicrous that the choice is taken away from the individuals concerned and given to individuals not affected by the decision. Would you ask a vegetarian to make a decision about meat? Why then would you allow this personal decision to be made by those who are not involved?

According to the Bureau of Statistics, there are approximately 27,000 same-sex couples.  Not all choose to be married, in fact when I was researching this issue I spoke to a few people that this decision could affect and came up with the result that not all in the gay community believe in marriage, same-sex or otherwise.

What they do believe in, however, is that all people should have the right to choose if they will or will not get married. Gay or straight.

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  1. frank6th

    June 6, 2014 at 10:48 pm

    Satan in Preacher’s Clothes

    I find it perplexing that Christians whom are taught that; only those without sin should cast the first stone, should state words like stones of hatred on gays and lesbians, giving the radical elements of our community licence to perpetuate homophobic bullying and violence. It is only the Christians that claim any grounds for opposing Gay marriage. And their objections are based on the Bible.. And yes in the book of Leviticus it does say 'man sleeping with man as with a women is an abomination'. But in context that was when defeated armies were sodomized to humiliate them before sending them home. How can so called Christians use that as an argument to deny a certain groups in our community the ability to enjoy a loving, monogamous life long relationship that has legal recognition. When at the same time they ignore the Forth Commandment making their servants in the electrical industry work on the Sabbath, or fail to follow the Bible, where in the book of Mathew it prescribes the punishment for disobedient children as Stoning.. (Luckily this day and age getting your child stoned has a different meaning!). If I do a word search of the King James version of the Bible, for the word 'marriage', it does not show any results. Why, because marriage is a fairly modern legal invention, as distinct from the religious holy wedlock. So there is no real valid reason for denying legal marriage to gay and lesbians unless you have some complex that makes you want to feel superior to them. So my closing words to Christians are, Satan teaches hatred, not the Bible. If you are allowing Satan's work to be done in your congregation then some of the blood of youth suicides will be on your hands when you go before your maker. If you are hearing any words that stop gay and lesbian marriage you need to cast Satan out, even if SATAN poses as a preacher.