Equal Marriage (The Right to Discriminate)

Both religious sorts and homophobes are curently arguing they should have the right to descriminate against gay marriage ceremonies. Or more correctly carrying them out. This is not to say all homophobes are religious or all religious folks are homophobes cause they're not.

I personally belive the right to descriminate is a great idea. (head down watch out for all the flying rounds.) Would you want somebody officiating your marriage/civil partnership if they didn't wish you the best? I personally wouldn't. It would bring negativity and discomfort to all.

Not only that but I'd rather not have a narrow minded dark ager officiating my ceremony against their free will. Likewise I'd not want a gay person to officiate if I was one of these narrow minded dark agers. It would be wholely inapppropriate.

However, I don't condone homophobia in anyway, I really would be stupid if I did as a gay female :). As it however, seems the majority of people in the UK today support equal marriage rights it would make those that are against them stand out. With all things once people find out something about a person/establishment that goes against their own beliefs they will not use the service. So for example, if a registrar refusses to carry out same-gender marriages or civil partnerships -the number of overall ceremonies will fall. As most registrars ar e under local authority governance, their services may no longer be required and it will be off to the job center for them. If however, we are talking of religious folks that object to carrying out such ceremonies, and we apply the same way of thinking than people will obstain from attending. This will cause one of two things to happen. The level of attendance will fall to a level that's not financialy sustainable and the persons higher up in the religious order will as serious questions about viability and posible closure – or - word will spread between other like minded people while those that are for equal marriage go to a place of worship that shares their thoughts, causing a internal segregation between the groups of the same denomination from which either a new branch of that denomination will be formed or a shift between different denomination. This can be seen currently between the anglican church and that of te cathlic church over the female bishop topic amongst others.

Of course, it would be nieve to think such massive changes would be in the short term. For this to happen would tke many years if not decades or maybe even centuaries.

With all things there's evolution so it would be very nieve to think it will only ever be “straight” people that can get “married”. There will be the right-wing hard-core for as long as we have closed minds and religions based upon rules and laws from times when it was perfectly normal to to kill people for believing different to the teachings of your own religion. If we all step back from religion and look at each other in our own light, the true good and bad people will be seen. For equality to flurrish – we need to nurture it not stick it on a big stage and shock and scare people with it or it will get hurt. Softly and slowly is the way we need to go if we really want to see change.