Gay Marriage in Canada

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While this topic would usually be placed in Dangerous Angles, I'm putting it here, because as of today, Canada's Federal government has made gay marriage legal throughout the country.

IIRC, we are only the third country worldwide to do this.

Given my well known religious convictions, you can imagine how happy I am with this but I wanted to hear what the rest of you have to say. Let the games begin!

 

Oh, my! This won't end well...

 

You're just following the trendsetting, forward thinking countries. Over here in New Zealand, we passed our own Civil Unions Act earlier this year. The pope wasn't too happy about it and sent us a letter to that effect (nice of him to notice). We've also had all sorts of religious extremists marching on parliament in their black t-shirts and boots (why weren't they at work?). But otherwise, things are fine and our country has not descended into anarchy as a result of loving couples being able to gain some measure of recognition under law.

 

I don't see how gay marriage affects anyone's rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property, so hats off to you Canadians who benefit from this!

I can actually see a large influx people to Canada from the USA because of this. I think more people will want to immigrate due to this than the much-ballyhooed run on Canada that was supposed to follow the '04 election, and I don't blame them for wanting to leave the US for a less bigoted land.

 

I guess we'll have to change our national anthem, then. Maybe it'll look like this:

Oh Canada
Our Homo sated land
True pagan Love
With all the boys holding hands!

With Birckenstocks
we see thee rise
The true North
Conscience Free

From far and wide
Oh Canada
The Queers will flock to theee!!!

Will whoever's in power
make room, for you'll see
All sorts of Gays
Settling down with THEEE!!

I never claimed to be a poet, I'm just in a weird mood. This is not intended to offend anyone; apologies in advance if it does. I used whatever words fit the rhythm, and I've seen every one of the terms used by Homosexuals themselves.

 

I always knew New Zealand and Canada had a lot in common.

 

Well, if this just don't beat all!

Next thing you know, we'll be giving women the right to vote, and letting those dark-skinned people drink from the same water fountains as we do.

The world's going to hell in a handbasket.

 

I chop down trees,
I skip and jump,
I like to press wildflowers....

Gives Canadian Mountee (sp?) a whole new meaning...

 

Indeed. Everyone knows that there are no gays getting married in America. Right?

T2 - Monty Python was the best! I still laugh whenever I think of that one.

 

There are many states in the US that have passed amendments to their constitutions or other laws that forbid gay marriage (unfortunately, my state is one of them), and there is still an agenda in DC to pass such and amendment to the US Constitution. Given that the majority of homosexual couples I know are more liberally bent in their ideology anyway, I would not be surprised at all if the idea of moving to a more politically liberal nation such as Canada appealed to them. Two friends of mine who happen to be gay decided that given their choice of lifestyle, Germany would be a friendlier place to live, and since one of them was German, they didn't have a lot of trouble moving there.

Gay rights is a very serious issue in the gay community, and there are many in that community that are more than willing to take drastic steps to prove their point, or improve their standing in society.

 

Yay for Canada.

*admits that Canada exists*

 

I'm now ashamed of our government. The fact that they would sell the religious beliefs of the majority of their constituents out to satisfy a loud, vocal lobby group is disgusting.

You're right, it won't.

I fear that they will go after religion next. There are certain passages in the Bible (opinions of the Bible or religion for that matter are irrelevent for this discussion) that expressly forbid homosexuality. This will likely piss off some members of the Gay community, and others may not like it when some minister refuses to perform such a marriage. How long before some couple drags that issue before the courts?

 

Hmm, looks like Spain has jumped on the bandwagon... guess its this years big trend. Go figure.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050630/ap_on_re_eu/spain_gay_marriage

 

So what if gays get married, will this really undermine your Christian marriages?

I would disagree if the law states that Christian have to give homosexuals Christian marriages however, so let the gays have non-religious weddings unless a religion permits such things of course and let the religious have their own weddings.

 

Personally, I prefer that the federal government have NO SAY WHATSOEVER in dictating who may or may not become parents. It's much too slippery of a slope. That includes not dictating that a private agency has to give a child to a couple that doesn't meet its established criteria (like making the KKK Child Placement service give a baby to a mixed-race couple).

Love is love and property is property. The government is just trying to not lose the revenue stream it gets from the estates of gay people who die without proper wills in place.

 

Gnar,

For the Gov't and for legal purposes, marriage is not defined by religion. In most localities your marriage is not made lawful by the blessings of the church, but by the legal binding that is created. In some locations the ceremony is not even necessary. In Nevada you can go be married, and there is no ceremony at all. You go the Dept of Marriage (or some stupid name like that, it has been a few year, and I don't remember exactly what it is called) and file for a marriage certificate, and if you want them to, they will provide you with a little ceremony, free of charge, by a public official, in whatever major religion you want (I know he had Bible, and had Christian, Catholic, and Jewish scripts to read from, not sure if he had a Koran and a script for Muslims), but it was not required.

Personally, I wish that the entire term of marriage be dropped from official use. If you are married in a church or by an official of some religious body in order to make your union holy, then that is your business, but for the sake of the Gov't, they should all be considered civil unions, and it shouldn't matter who is getting one other than that both parties be consenting adults. Oh yeah, and human, no marriage to your favorite animal, regardless of its age or supposed consent!

Once you separate marriage from its legal binding, you eliminate the problem you describe in your post regarding someone refusing to provide the ceremony to a group of people.

 

Few gay men would be caught dead wearing Birks: too much fashion sense. Only granolas and nerdy heteros (and some lesbians) wear Birks.

I agree with Rally on the parenting issue. Given the number of children in available for adoption, especially from poorer countries, it seems to me that being raised in a stable, caring homosexual household is far preferable to orphanages here or abroad or the foster care system. Plus, gay couples tend to be above national averages in education and income; they have the resources to raise children, so why not?

Also, given that single people are currently allowed to adopt children, would you have them give an "oath of heterosexuality" before adopting?

 

So you'd rather an orphaned or abandoned child was restricted to an orphanage or foster home, rather than having the possibility of being raised by homosexual parents?

I'm not sure your projected, "abnormal childhood" is that bad, comparitively.