I want you to imagine a life where you'll never be truly equal, a life where you will never have the same rights as the majority. You may find love, but you will be denied the same fundamental rights every heterosexual couple has. You will be unable to marry because both law and society do not accept who you are, who you were born as. This is the issue that plagues homosexual couples not only in Australia, but in the majority of the developed world.
Same-sex marriage has been a growing issue for many Australians for several years, especially now that Australia is falling behind countries such as New Zealand in the legalisation of same-sex marriage. In Australia the progressive demographic supports gay marriage where as the conservative and religious demographics oppose it.
It's is time for us as Australians to take a look at how we treat homosexual people, like all
Australians homosexual people deserve equality. The unification of two individuals that love each other is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege. Legalising same-sex marriage will give homosexual people the equal rights they deserve and will help develop loving families for our nation’s children, all without having any affect whatsoever on heterosexual marriage. Changes to Australian legislation will make this possible.
When it comes to marriage, love is the only thing that should matter. So why do we deny same-sex couples marriage? Not allowing same-sex couples to marry is essentially a form of discrimination. Discrimination is defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different groups of people or things. This discrimination contradicts everything we stand for in Australia. It contradicts the equality and freedom that we boast about to the rest of the world. So why is that we still hesitate to legalise gay marriage when it allows us as a nation to move one step closer to equality? Is it the effect of same-sex marriage on heterosexual marriages and relationships that scares us?
Ludicrous claims are made by people, generally those that are homophobic stating that legalising same-sex marriage will force heterosexuals to marry those of the same gender, or that these changes will promote homosexual relationships. This is far from the truth. Regardless of the changes made to same-sex marriage, heterosexual marriages will always remain untouched. Allowing men to marry men and women to marry women will not change anything for the straight majority. Heterosexual couples will always maintain their rights. Allowing same-sex marriage will result in both parties receiving identical benefits, it will result in equality. How can equality possibly be considered as a negative? So if same-sex marriage has no effect on heterosexual marriage, what else could possibly be stopping us from legalising it? Could it be religion?
In Christianity although the bible does not mention same-sex marriage, it identifies homosexuals as an abomination so it can be assumed that the marriage of two homosexual people is forbidden. However is marriage a 100% religious term? No its not. Holy matrimony on the other hand is. Holy matrimony is essentially the unification of a man and woman that is recognised and blessed by god. Marriage on the other hand is defined as the formal union between two individuals, typically recognised by law. The issue of same-sex marriage is a civil one; it should not be confused with being a religious one. Same-sex marriages will not take place in Australian churches unless that church happens to support it. Same-sex marriages will be the same civil ceremony that many Australians already participate in. From this we can see that same-sex marriage is a matter for the state, not the church. Since this is the case, we should be pushing for equal rights to marriage for both homosexuals and heterosexuals. Marriage is a right that everyone in Australia should be entitled to.
Not only will the legalisation of same-sex marriage help homosexual people achieve equality, it will also help homosexual couples develop loving families. As it’s obviously not possible for same-sex couples to have children, they must either resort to artificial insemination and surrogacy or adoption. The adoption of children by same-sex couples will give them a stable, loving environment to grow up in, an environment that these children otherwise may never find. Currently most adoption agencies will only allow married couples to adopt children, making adoption impossible for same-sex couples in Australia. Not only will allowing same-sex marriage help homosexual couples start the family they’ve always dreamt of, it will also give children the loving and caring parents they need to support them through their childhood. Just because a person is gay it doesn’t make them any different to someone else. Homosexual people deserve the same rights as every other Australian. Legalising same sex-marriage in Australia will bring us one step closer to equality and will help us develop loving families, allowing same-sex marriage is simply the right thing to do. Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege. Thankyou
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