SAME-SEX MARRIAGES: EQUAL RIGHTS OR ‘PURE POLITICS’?
Prime Minister David Cameron has committed the government to supporting same-sex marriage. And launched a consultation on the issue. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said it’s ‘when’ not ‘if’ the current law is changed.
Not everybody is happy. Predictably, the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, either believing homosexuality itself is a sin, or concerned that a change in the law would drive a wedge between the Church’s canon law – which maintains that marriage is for a man and a woman – and Parliament.
Not so predictably, some gays, whose opposition is summed up by Ben Bradshaw, MP, who says gays have already won equal rights with civil partnerships. ‘This is pure politics,’ he adds.
That’s the position of Andrew Pierce, himself gay, but vehemently anti. He said so in the Daily Mail, and received a lot of hate mail.
Our Interrogator, Emma Barnett, puts him in the ring with Peter Lloyd, former editor of the Pink paper, which bills itself as Britain’s leading gay news website.
Listen in to their boxing match, and decide who lands the hardest punches ..
Image courtesy of Guillaume Paumier via flickr.com ©©
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Beware Cameron’s Hidden Agenda.He says he supports Gay Marriage primarily because he believes in the institution of Marriage.An insider in Tory party told me that when Gay Marriage is accepted,there will be no reason for Civil Partnerhips and they will then tidy up all the rules and laws governing relationships by eliminating Civil Partnership.So Gays will have only one option left:-marriage,with all its historical-religious-cultural connotations.
Gays should be proud to have achieved the Civil Partneship legislation,it being a much more modern and culture free relationship between two equals.
Rogiman
Lets get rid of Marriage and all go down the route of civil partnerships job done !
Alan
Fascinating debate Emma – really interesting points on both sides.
I don’t like this idea that parliament somehow stalls when faced with more than one issue. The purpose of the government is to decide on an array of issues at any given point. The LGBT community is a powerful element of British life and I don’t see why this has to be contrasted against the issue of the economy. They are both “priorities” in their own right and should not be seen as competitors.
“What’s in a word”? – A LOT! Peter hit the nail on the head by saying that civil partnership lacks the romantic connotations that marriage holds. It gives the impression that a gay marriage is more stagnant and turns it into a purely legal matter. Of course, it isn’t just a word though, as pointed out. They may be small legal differences but suggest that gay relationships are in some way inferior to straight ones.
Overall Andrew spent more time deflecting the issue by talking about the EU, religious institutions and the economy, rather than answering the biggest question – should society distinguish between gay unions and straight ones?
Ben S.