Dear Yuyutsu
If gay people are free only to marry people of the opposite sex, then they are not really free to marry at all.

If, as you seem to argue, you have no problem with gay marriage, but rather only with government-sanctioned gay marriage, can I ask whether you think that no marriages should be state sanctioned, or only marriage between two people of the same gender?

Dear Rhian,

Gay people are ALREADY free to marry people of their own sex.

I have no problem with that and would feel honoured if a gay person chose me as their best-man.

Indeed, I do not agree with government being involved in that which is an intimate personal affair (and often also a religious practice) to begin with. Government should neither perform nor register marriages of any kind. I oppose the current erroneous push for "legalising" gay marriage (how is it possible to legalise what's already legal?!) because it involves the expansion of a government service which should not have existed in the first place.

>>no human has a right to pursue and satisfy whatever makes them happy! To make such a claim is absurd!<<

Really? Seems a bit harsh? What if what they really enjoy is philately? Would you deny them their right to collect stamps simply on the basis that no human has a right to pursue whatever makes them happy?

>>This was famously articulate by JS Mill: ”The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” <<

I'm with Mill too. And I'm going to stay with Mill until one of you tories can direct me to a convincing criticism of Mill.

>>When will we, the public, get to see the dark side of homosexuality?<<

When the Gay Lords of the Sith rise up to overthrow the Old Gay Republic and form the Evil Gay Galactic Empire. But they will be defeated in turn by the Gay Rebel Alliance who will then form the New Gay Republic.

Disney recently acquired the rights to LucasFilm and I believe they are already in pre-production for the new Gay Star Wars films. You should be able to see the dark side of homosexuality - or at least homosexuals who have turned to the dark side - any day now. The word on the street from die-hard fanboys is that the Gay Lords of the Sith will wield pink lightsabers instead of red and that the whole Gay Jedi Council have adopted Mace Windu's preferred colour of lightsaber.

Cheers,

Tony

Dear Tony,

"
>>no human has a right to pursue and satisfy whatever makes them happy! To make such a claim is absurd!<<

Really? Seems a bit harsh? What if what they really enjoy is philately? Would you deny them their right to collect stamps simply on the basis that no human has a right to pursue whatever makes them happy?
"

I'm afraid that David G. is correct in this case:

Anyone who chooses to pursue their happiness must seize the opportunity and do what it takes to achieve that happiness - nobody else gives them such right, so they should not wait for others' permission.

If by seizing the opportunity for happiness one hurts others, then those others who are being hurt may act in self-defence in order to pursue their own happiness. Even they don't really have a 'right' for self-defence, they just act anyway!

Now it is common for people to form states for their mutual self-defence. That is fine, but does not give the state any more moral authority than the sum of the moral authorities of those people who voluntarily formed or joined that state. For example, the state has no moral authority to defend those who never applied or consented to be its members (unless it can establish beyond reasonable doubt that the offended would have voluntarily asked to join it if they had the opportunity, thus authoring the state to act on their behalf).

Of course states do it all the time, but that is completely immoral.

<<I'm with Mill too. And I'm going to stay with Mill until one of you tories can direct me to a convincing criticism of Mill.>>

I'm with Mill too, but those who criticise him most are not the tories, but the national and/or socialist mob, worst when these combine.

Just call it 'garriage'.

Gays get 7/8ths, straights keep 1/8th

Not a bad compromise.

Sorted.

Just what, exactly, do all you people think will happen if Australia joins the rest of the modern world and allows gay marriage?

Two guys or two girls will stand up in front of their family and friends, and a celebrant will marry them, they will then go home and live their lives.

Are some heterosexual people so insecure about heterosexual marriage that they feel gay marriage will somehow affect them in ANY way?

And don't pretend it is all about the children either, because we all know heterosexual marriages don't always bode well for kids anyway.

If it's your god you think has a problem with gay marriage, don't worry because YOU aren't the one marrying someone of the same sex, so you won't be going to your god's naughty corner.

Legal gay marriage is coming to Oz, so you all better get used to it and realise that in fact nothing in your own insular world will actually change!