Hi onthebeach,
Thanks for your welcome, I have read (nearly) all of the comments, as there are over 60, I don't think the posting limits will allow me to respond to them all. As far as blowing in, well we all have to start somewhere, and sounding off? It is called online "opinion" isn't it? But just for you, I have picked one of the stand-out comments to respond to.
"It leaves them performing an unnatural act and thus debasing marriage." The idea that acts performed privately in our own home can have an impact on other people and their marriages has to be one of the most bizarre I have ever heard, and I honestly wonder how someone can hold that belief in this day and age. I think it's also an excellent example of the hypocrisy that the religious so often manage , the fact that the poster is sitting at his "unnatural" computer typing away using the "unnatural" internet seems to have no impact on his or all our marriages, but gays having sex?! I also wonder why anyone (straight or gay) should have to care whether how they behave in their own marriage lowers the value of said marriage in the opinion of complete strangers? Talk about a god complex.

Dan Daman, "The idea that acts performed privately in our own home can have an impact on other people and their marriages has to be one of the most bizarre I have ever heard"

Almost as bizarre as gay activists demanding that the State regulate homosexual relations and gay marriages take place in churches, eh what?

Tell us Dan, why is it that marriage, forever scoffed at, decried and even reviled by gays is now somehow 'essential' to their wellbeing?

This and other questions have been posed in the thread and perhaps you have the answers.

Onthebeach,
"Almost as bizarre ..."
Maybe some "gay activists" are demanding that, I certainly wouldn't support it. Seems a strange thing, to demand the government regulate your relationship, surely you don't think that marriage is government regulation? While it is a legal institution, it is a long way from regulation(control, supervision).

"and gay marriages take place in churches, eh what?" Ah, Lyle's trope about poor churches being forced to drop their bigotry. Perhaps you could do me the politeness and respect of reading my first comment. Why is it so hard to believe that religious organisations which are already exempt from anti-discrimination laws would not also be allowed to bar gay couples from marriage ceremonies? Don't worry, no-one really cares what backwards and discriminatory beliefs are kept in the sinking ships that are organised religion, just kindly allow the rest of us to avoid being dragged down as well.

"Tell us Dan, why is it that marriage, forever scoffed at, decried and even reviled by gays is now somehow 'essential' to their wellbeing?"

Well, first you would have to show me that marriage has been forever scoffed at and decried and reviled by all gays. But you can't because it hasn't. There are gays who don't want/support marriage, yes, just like there are heterosexual couples that don't support/want marriage. Guess what, none of them have to get married! The difference is that the heterosexual couples who DO want to get married can, however the homosexual couples who want to, can't. It is extremely intellectually dishonest of you to present this as some kind of all in or all out scenario, just like it's hypocritical of religious folk to campaign so hard against gay marriage while ignoring de-facto relationships, divorce and re-marriage (as another poster already pointed out). If they claim to be so bound to their dogma, they should be just as passionate about these issues, however no-one is surprised to see theists cherry pick.
Also, please show me where I claimed marriage is essential to their well-being? It's not, it's equality, which any decent society should be striving for.