Dear Gays vs Marriage

I was planning to write a funny list for my friend tonight about the Top Ten Awesome Reasons Living Alone is Fun but sadly I got sidetracked by something more soap boxy (sorry Paula, I’ll get to it!)

Today during a conservative rally for Pro-Marriage (I’m impressed marriage got a rally!), Bob Katter and Barnaby Joyce got up and made some incredibly inflammatory statements. This is nothing new, these two pollies love to get on the rough end of a opinion poll and throw polarizing opinions out there so I ignored it. Later though, but sheer chance I saw the post on the 7pm Project referencing it would be a story that night and like a worm hole, the debate sucked me in.

I was initially interested to see what the regular panellists Charlie Pickering, Carrie Bickmore and Dave Hughes would say, because I feel sometimes they sit on the fence when it comes time to express opinions. But what lured me into commenting was the raising of the two points: marriage is defined by... and God sees marriage this way.

Now firstly, let it be said, I am Sorkin-ite, I am West Wing fanatic and they covered this topic so very well (from my standpoint anyway) in a few episodes. Firstly the religious issue. My issue has always been in this argument. Our church and state are VERY separate entities. My government should NEVER create or deny policy based on religious beliefs, be they Christian, Buddhist, Hindu or whatever faith you believe in. In this modern world we live in, I absolutely respect your right to adhere to whatever your chosen faith dictates. The key word is CHOSEN. In return I ask that you respect my right to believe or not believe in whatever I chose to. My government should be blind to the influence of faith and therefore the policy it creates, upholds or denies should also blind.

Second, is the always repeated point that marriage is defined by a man and a woman. Can we not accept that marriage when it was originally defined was done so in a world so very different to ours, when slavery was acceptable, when segregation was the norm. Marriage is defined by only those in the marriage. How they chose to love each other is again, only between the two.

I absolutely respect the right of people who disagree with my view on marriage being an equal opportunity arrangement to speak out, but it drives me crazy when it is done with intolerance and fear mongering – such as conservative Jim Wallace attempting to link the London Riots to a fatherless generation.  Or with indifference and insensitivity to the opposition’s opinion – such as when people call Christians’ God Nuts or crazy fundamentalists.

This fight is too important to be crass, too important to be intolerant and too important to be prejudiced. Its love and how we love each other and whatever your opinion, it’s one of the most noblest causes and deserves respect from all sides – not some stupid slap fight in the playground.