By Kevin Glancy

The gay community has every right to demand equality and to a large extent they have it, particularly in relation to legal protection, anti-discrimination laws and matters of finance between partners in relationships.  Fortunately, and yes there’s probably still a way to go, but we’ve come a long way in Australia since those dark days of homosexual persecution.

However, the emotive calls from gay activists and their media and political supporters that they should be allowed to participate in the act of marriage based on ‘equality’ is an argument stretched too far. 

For the record  I’m extremely supportive of  ‘gay rights’ as such and the rights of any individual no matter their orientation but when gay activists  use that word ‘equality’ to argue their case for marriage it’s a turn-off and any enthusiastic support for their cause lessens.  No doubt I am not alone in that regard.

By all means, it’s fit and proper that gay couples should be allowed to have their special day along with a ceremony to celebrate their union and to make their relationship ‘official’ and legal. Equality from that perspective is a perfectly reasonable aim. But suggesting that it therefore follows, that being allowed to fall into the heterosexual marriage act is also an issue of equality – is absolute nonsense.

There is I’m sure, a better analogy and I don’t wish to trivialise what is for the gay community a serious matter, but calls for marriage based on equality is akin to me demanding to be allowed to attend a female only gym based on equality. I am not a woman, the gym much like the marriage act in this instance is gender specific – for woman only. Equally, marriage is also gender specific. It’s about a man and a woman and was never intended or enacted to be about two men or two women or any other coupling for that matter.

Of course the issue of children is very much part of the working marriage act in enshrining the family base and it starts with a husband and a wife who can, by their union naturally produce children.  Again, it’s an aspect that diminishes the gay activist ‘equality’ argument. Obviously, two men or two woman in union will never be capable of that natural outcome. No matter how gay couples acquire children it confirms that far from a case of equality, gay couples are simply and naturally not the same as heterosexual couples.

Equality is not the issue, it is not discriminatory to exclude gay couples from the marriage act as they are a completely different entity and therefore, require a different platform on which to join in partnership.

What further exasperates and weakens their argument, much like the hypocrisy perpetrated by the gender bashing antics of Labor women like Gillard, Roxon, Plibersek, Macklin and Wong, is that gay activists have no problem with discrimination or vilification when it suits; whether insulting someone who doesn’t agree with them or discriminatory gay only bars, gay clubs or taxpayer supported Gay Games, taxpayer-funded affirmative action programmes or the annual Mardi Gras.

Nor is their argument strengthened by insulting labels applied by them to describe people who do not share their opinion. It is perfectly reasonable in our supposed democracy to hold an alternative view and one isn’t an extremist, an idiot or any of the other vile names used regularly by gay activists to describe those with an opposing view.

The trouble with gay marriage proponents in general is that they use words like ‘tolerance’ but don’t show any and it’s typical of those on the Left who talk ‘democracy, justice and equality’ but have no idea what it all means as they only extend such hospitality to those who agree with their opinions.

You have to practice equality to be equal, so stop with the name calling and in the case of marriage take some initiative create your own act, call it whatever you will.  Create a new word or call it ‘Carriage’ take the steps to enshrine a Carriage Act on legal grounds and have your big day in the sun – you deserve it like any other couple celebrating their union.

Don’t weaken your cause by throwing the word ‘equality’ around as far as marriage is concerned, it’s emotional blackmail and I’m sure a turn-off for many. A legally sanctioned gay union is a worthy cause to fight for but stop with the insults, you’re just making it harder for the rest of us to change our opinion.

 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed above are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher; www.theissue.com.au