Should gays be allowed to legally marry?

[Puckoon]

Given that Ireland is one of the remaining countries that does not acknowledge the parenting rights of same sex couples, the statistics are not out there.

[stew]

A close family friend (who actually did a wonderful job officiating myself and my wife's wedding) recently married his boyfriend here in the US. Perhaps one of you geniuses could explain to me why he shouldn't be entitled to marry the love of HIS life, just like I and most of you have?

WHERE is the harm in it?

Some people need to open their eyes to their bigotry.

That is lazy, ignorant and predictable, not to mention wrong.

I dont believe that they should be able to marry, that is for reasons of faith, that does not make me a bigot, if they have to be allowed to marry they should do a civil union and not in a Church, that is my opinion.

Just because people do not agree with it does not make them bigots!

[Milltown Row2]

On the flip side of that, Maguire, maybe most people grow up to be heterosexual as that's what they see, love between their mother & father.

Therefore someone who grows up seeing love between their two fathers may be more inclined to be gay?

I don't know at all but I see a logic in there somewhere.

So by that logic seeing your brother being gay or sister being gay growing up would make you more inclined to be gay? My parents smoked so did that mean I that was more inclined to smoke? Watching that kids show growing up 'my two dads' would have made you gay?

This is all silly, if someone is gay they are gay from birth, I don't think anybody, especially young boys growing up want to be gay, there is no way they would want to be ridiculed for a serious proportion of their lives by homophobic arseholes. Once they except that they are gay I'm sure it is easier but I doubt very much this is something that they choose

[Eamonnca1]

There's two lads that were in my class in school who I knew from the age of 11.  Reconnected with them on FB lately and lo - they are both gay. And it came as no surprise at all. It was pretty obvious even back then.

They had traits which are not learned.

Gayness is an inherent characteristic, it is not a choice and is certainly not the result of a monkey-see-monkey-do casual surrender to the power of suggestion. Seeing two gay people, whether they are part of your family or not, is not going to make a person gay. It is simply an accident of birth.

Furthermore, the myth that homosexuality is a "choice" has led to the creation of "rehabilitation clinics" in the USA which have been found to cause profound psychological harm by trying to turn people away from their own nature.

[Puckoon]

Off the top of my head HS I think there are scientific reports of a genentic pre-disposition to homosexuality. While children aren't necessarily gay from birth I believe their sexual orientation is already set up, although there is no guarantee how their sexual behaviour as sexually mature adults will manifest.

[theskull1]

I have no opinion on whether gay couples should be allowed to get married. On the subject of parenting, surely the jury is out on the impact to any child due to them being same sex parents. I couldn't say myself but I think (away from celeb lifestyles) many might struggle as they move into adolescence....could be wrong

[J70]

A close family friend (who actually did a wonderful job officiating myself and my wife's wedding) recently married his boyfriend here in the US. Perhaps one of you geniuses could explain to me why he shouldn't be entitled to marry the love of HIS life, just like I and most of you have?

WHERE is the harm in it?

Some people need to open their eyes to their bigotry.

That is lazy, ignorant and predictable, not to mention wrong.

I dont believe that they should be able to marry, that is for reasons of faith, that does not make me a bigot, if they have to be allowed to marry they should do a civil union and not in a Church, that is my opinion.

Just because people do not agree with it does not make them bigots!

Who is talking about them getting married in a church?

If you think they should be allowed a secular marriage, like I myself have (with all its legal benefits), we have no quarrel. My problem is with those who do not want them to be allowed to married at all, inside or outside a church.

That aside (and this is not necessarily aimed at you), I find the justification of something solely on reasons of faith (e.g. opposition to homosexuality and gay marriage, evolution etc) ridiculous. Faith and the bible have been used over the ages to support some abhorrent views and behaviour. If you're reduced to defending a position based on faith and in the face of logic and evidence and simple compassion, you're either uneducated, closed minded or intellectually dishonest.

[J70]

A debate that would be more relevent to me personally would be ''should gays be allowed to marry in a church or chapel?''

Standing beside each other in a town hall or whatever telling each other that they love each other and signing a piece of paper to me is not really a marriage so tear away.

So I assume you voted Yes in the above poll then?

I have not voted.

I would have a fear that once the right to legally marry has been sorted the next step would be, for some gay couples, to force their way to marrage at the alter. That would be a massive NO for me.

Given the privileged position of churches, I doubt that will ever happen. And how could it, legally?

I hope you are right.

That begs the question, though.... What are you afraid of?

If the churches were to start marrying gay people, what difference will it make to you? How will it affect you?

The churches will only start marrying gay people if they are legally forced to do so. This is highly unlikely but in the modern world of 'human rights' you never know.

If it gets to the stage where the law can dictate to the church as to who they must marry even if it is against the churches beliefs and teachings then surely you can understand why people who value the religion would be upset.

So your objection then is to the church being forced to do something it doesn't want to, as opposed to gay marriage itself?

[Eamonnca1]

I have no opinion on whether gay couples should be allowed to get married. On the subject of parenting, surely the jury is out on the impact to any child due to them being same sex parents. I couldn't say myself but I think (away from celeb lifestyles) many might struggle as they move into adolescence....could be wrong

I was walking home in Salford one day and a small child, couldn't have been more than 5 years old, trips and falls over hurting herself. Mother's reaction? "f**king stupid! Get up!"

I was going to the shops in Manchester one time and a young child was walking with her teenage mum alongside a low wall.  The kid gets up on the wall and walks along it, as children do.  Mother's reaction? "Get down off there you f**king d**khead!"

I saw a group of teenage mothers who got into a scuffle one time and one of them used her pram (baby and all) as a battering ram to hit one of the other girls.

I could go on all day giving you examples of abusive sc**bag parents who seem to breed before they can read. Where's the debate about restricting them from having children? It'd be a bit more of a pressing concern, wouldn't you say?

[J70]

Why?

It's not normal for two men to be together never mind marry.

People will tell you its 2013 blah blah blah they can do what they want but if everyone woke up in the morning and decided they were a gay that would mean no kids and the population of the world would end up dying off.

Its not normal for an Irish person to be Jewish, yet a small percentage of the population of Ireland are in fact Jewish. Its not normal for men to be seven feet tall, yet the NBA is full of huge men playing centre. "Normal" does not equal "natural".

And I don't know if you're on the wind up or not, but who the hell wakes up in the morning and decides to be gay?

And if you are in fact serious, I suggest you learn a little about statistics and biology.

[Eamonnca1]

And as for the "natural" argument, homosexuality is widespread in nature. It's been observed in thousands of species and was well documented in about 500 species last time I looked.

[J70]

And as for the "natural" argument, homosexuality is widespread in nature. It's been observed in thousands of species and was well documented in about 500 species last time I looked.

Indeed. They should start by checking out our closest living relatives, bonobos!

[stephenite]

There's two lads that were in my class in school who I knew from the age of 11.  Reconnected with them on FB lately and lo - they are both gay. And it came as no surprise at all. It was pretty obvious even back then.

They had traits which are not learned.

Gayness is an inherent characteristic, it is not a choice and is certainly not the result of a monkey-see-monkey-do casual surrender to the power of suggestion. Seeing two gay people, whether they are part of your family or not, is not going to make a person gay. It is simply an accident of birth.

Furthermore, the myth that homosexuality is a "choice" has led to the creation of "rehabilitation clinics" in the USA which have been found to cause profound psychological harm by trying to turn people away from their own nature.

THere was a kid who grew up a few doors down from us - he was an obvious gayer from around 3 years of age.

[Eamonnca1]

Bonobos are all over the place where sex is concerned. Gay, bisexual, casual sex, it's all there.

[nifan]

It's not normal for two men to be together never mind marry.

People will tell you its 2013 blah blah blah they can do what they want but if everyone woke up in the morning and decided they were a gay that would mean no kids and the population of the world would end up dying off.

Christ
If everyone woke up in the morning and decided to become a priest or nun the population of the world would die of. therefore we should logically make it illegal to become a priest or nun