Not really true, a597… Isn't it, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition? And I've met both males and females who do expect they may have to explain their wife is a female.

"Surely you can have a civil union without the word marriage" doesn't seem unreasonable given the number of marriages that are unions which are barely civil.

You challenge us to "get another word, marriage is for man and wife…"

Espousal might work and allows for the gender neutral term spouse to be used when referring to your 'better half '.

Anyway, since you want the word marriage reserved as above, what's your word for woman and husband?

I'm going to ask a question here, hoping to find an answer to something I really don't know about, so please don't simply shoot me down.

Many hetro couples today don't bother with marriage at all preferring to simply "shack-up." After a period of time, a split in the relationship means that they share the spoils of that arrangement, children or none.

Now, I'm not privy to all that happens with regards to legality in a same sex arrangement similar to the above which is why I ask this......

What difference does a piece of paper make for either a same sex or heterosexual couple? I thought something had been legally put in place that now means the partner of a deceased person in a same sex relationship gets access to the decease's superannuation etc?

I suppose what I'm trying to ask is, what advantage if any is there in marriage for same sex couples? Do same sex couples miss out on something that heterosexual couples "shacking-up" get legally if the relationship goes sour?

Shouldn't we remember that gender (including homosexuals) is an accident of Birth. Now if that "accident" meets up with, and wants to spend the rest of his/her life with another "accident", and live happily ever after, who the hell are we to judge.
I googled "what causes homosexuality", and the results were quite astonishing, there was so much information that I cringed. Now, when my Stepfather passed away, I used to take my Mum to church on Sundays. The Bishop that we had there had a daughter who became pregnant when she was single, and a boy who was homosexual, and one other son who was 'normal' (whatever 'normal' is). He loved and accepted all three of his kids for who they were and how they lived their lives. So what I would like to know, is this: "Who the hell are we as human beings to judge anybody because of the flaws of Nature?"
NSB

Well said NSB, but I don't know that I'd agree with homosexuality as being a flaw. Nature is nature and it creates what it likes when it likes.

The sexual spectrum is like a huge arc with full masculinity or feminism at one end and the exact opposite at the other. Every degree we see within that arc is simply part of nature. To try and pin a tag of "normality" or "flaw" on any of those degrees is probably not anyone's right.

Dear Aime,

Same sex couples in a de-facto relationship have the same
legal rights as heterosexual couples, this has been the case
since July 2009. The only difference being that same sex
couples are not allowed to be registered as being married.
Thereby making their union lesser in society than that of
heterosexual couples.

Thanks for the explanation Lexi. I had an idea things had changed in that respect.

Still can't see what the big deal is about marriage though. After all, it's just a piece of paper and considered quite worthless by a majority of the hetro community that swap partners like underwear.