[CLOSED]Do you think same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere ?

[_spirit]

The governments should have no say on how consenting adults conduct their lives. If two people love each other and want to get married they should be allowed to do so regardless of the colour, religion, nationality or sex of their partner. Love and marriage should be a purely personal choice. When governments interfere in the private lives of people, dictating who can marry who, individual freedoms are compromised with potentially dangerous implications.

With this being said, I want to know what you think...

Do you think same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere ?

Let me know in the comments below!

THIS DEBATES ENDS ON November 1ST at 11:59PM BST.

For more information on the debate guidelines, see the guidelines thread here!

[Ginoulla]

Yes I think it should. I know many countries this is frowned upon but LOVE is love. And love brings happiness and the best out of us.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Ultimately government does have a say in marriage as in institution given it is law which regulates marriage and gives it recognition. This is obvious for countries like Britain and Norway which have a state church, obvious for countries like Greece and Jordan which have a state religion, but also for secular countries such as America, China and Spain which do not have a state church or state religion but which govern marriage as an institution by law.

As to whether it should be legalised or not, it depends upon the culture and whether that country wants to do so. For example, some countries such as Russia and Hungary and amended their constitutions to make clear that marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman, and Islamic countries find the concept of gay marriage so absurd that they do not even feel a need to define what marriage is as they consider it to be self-evident.

[Ginoulla]

Ultimately government does have a say in marriage as in institution given it is law which regulates marriage and gives it recognition. This is obvious for countries like Britain and Norway which have a state church, obvious for countries like Greece and Jordan which have a state religion, but also for secular countries such as America, China and Spain which do not have a state church or state religion but which govern marriage as an institution by law.

As to whether it should be legalised or not, it depends upon the culture and whether that country wants to do so. For example, some countries such as Russia and Hungary and amended their constitutions to make clear that marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman, and Islamic countries find the concept of gay marriage so absurd that they do not even feel a need to define what marriage is as they consider it to be self-evident.

I love this. These facts are correct but I want to know what you think about it.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I love this. These facts are correct but I want to know what you think about it.

Not sure if I am perfectly honest.

[Empired]

Oh ugh I actually don't support the idea of marriage as it currently stands anyway. I think the supposedly "permanent" union of two individuals in order to tie up their finances and assets is outdated, messy and harmful. Regardless of whether people think the Western world's attitude to partnership should be changing, it is. People's views on marriage, love and partnership and how those things work is changing. I don't believe a two-person partnership (whether it caters to same-sex, hetero, or anything in between) that is so legally binding and difficult to extricate yourself from works for the majority anymore.

I do understand that marriage is becoming less of a "thing" than it has been in the past and that many couples are now choosing to not get married and it's not even a big shock to many. However I think we can all agree marriage is still a very popular notion, right? Weddings are still very popular and happen all the time.

I personally would support a different set of laws for couples (or larger groups of people too!) who want to cohabit with an extra layer of legal and financial protection. This might be based on romantic intentions as marriage currently is, but it also might be friends who want to start a family, or people who have decided to commit to each other in order to combine their financial assets.

This is just a personal belief that I haven't really spent the time putting into a very coherent pitch here, so apologies for the rough-n-ready response here. Basically: I have no problems with marriage as a religious ceremony and celebration of love in a way that is defined by the particular religion as that's an entirely different thing in my mind, but the current institution of marriage under the law? No thx.

Oh I'm also aware I ignored the actual question, but I think it's bc my response covers my answer to same-sex marriage but reframes the question on a different level.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I should have added, had I been an MP or a Lord at the time the Same-Sex Marriage Act (then Bill) came to Parliament in 2013, I would have voted no and likely still would if the vote were to be held again today in 2021. My main concern with it is how Blairite Equality legislation (which I would personally abolish) would interpret the law and force acceptance of SSM onto religious groups, or interfere with freedom of speech. We're seeing an increasingly sinister criminalisation of speech and expression.

With the Equality concerns, I'd likely be inclinced to abstain or - possibly if I weighed up the issue more - vote for the legislation.

[Shannon]

Why is this even a question?

You should be entitled to love whoever you choose, regardless of gender, as long as they are part of the human race, and not an animal or an object.

Therefore marriage should be legal regardless and everyone regardless of the gender of the couple should still have the same rights.

[jamiexo]

I think I could go on and on with my response, but I think I'll keep it short and simple and straight to the point like Shannon and say yes, it should be legal everywhere.

I think in today's day and age, we've seen so many changes on every end of the spectrum that has been substantially different from how things been in the past. This could be things like, in this example, same sex marriage, or something else highly debated in legalizing marijuana.

So yes, let's make a change from the past. Let people be happy. If you don't support it, it's not your life, it's theirs.

[LUCPIX]

Early answer is yup, obv, but it's complicated, I wouldn't draw the line that quickly. The conjunct of the nations' respective constitutions are developed/revised entirely based upon the views of their respective culture.

Let's just say that OFF>ON-switching the legality of (explicit) same-sex marriage in an hypothetical land with way-far-behind notions of what is OK in the context of love wouldn't automatically prevent their average citizens to display discriminatory/violent attitude/opinions towards it