Some of the opinions posted in response to this article are disturbing, to say the least. When are certain members of our society going to grow up and accept people for who they are? If gay couples are not causing harm to others then the least we can do is ensure that they are treated as human beings. As has been previously posted - they contribute to society just like everyone else and just because 'we don't understand' does not allow us the liberty to treat them harshly and disallow the basic rights that the rest of us enjoy (and expect).

Equality should be hard to argue against- but it's not. Otherwise, how would we get the thrill of feeling superior to someone else.

Pell's article was hardly a compelling read. Nothing more than a restatement of the bleeding obvious: happy people live longer and have happy children.

"Damn, how come I didn't see that!" (smacking myself on the forehead) "It all makes sense now. Obviously gay people can't marry....?"

WTF?? Where did that come from?? Hang on, I must have missed something. Lets see....

People in a solid marriage are happy and live longer.. OK
Children of people in a solid marriage are happy and successful.. OK
Gay marriage would bring down civilization.. ?!

[Ooookay. Lets put down the argument and take two paces backwards- I think it's ticking....]

If anything, it suggests that if gay people were allowed to marry we'd have even more happy people.

And Cornflower, to answer your point. Allow gay people to marry and you then have a mechanism for deciding who does and does not qualify for the benefits the author specifies. Hell, even having unfair legislation that says only officially married gay people can access these benefits would, I think, be welcomed (after all, we don't hold hetero couples to this requirement).

Aside from the general beating of breasts from the people content to let religion do their thinking for them, the other commonly trotted out reason for continuing to leave gays out in the cold is children.

Reality says that, regardless of any anti-discrimination legislation, gays are unlikely to be able to adopt- supply and demand in our contraceptive society will proclude that. And the small percentage of gay people (already a small percentage of our society) that are going to want children is hardly going to make a difference in terms of the impact to society of fatherless children.

I think that gay people should not be allowed to raise children if they cant make them as a couple then they shouldn’t have them.
And that is with out today’s technology my sister in-law is gay and she is the nicest person on earth.
I don’t mean to offend any one, I cant belive we advertise it with a madigras with today’s drugs and lost children how much of a mess will a non gay young person on drugs or alcohol, if they woke next to the same sex they would really become messed up.
What about a young child growing up with gay parents and they are not gay but then again what’s normal, hay it will one day become a normal thing for society and all will be equal.
Do you think the gay gene will vanish if they were all left to each other and today’s technology was not used in helping them develop there own children.
one thing I belive god does not make mistakes, man has not perfected the understanding of genetics to say that it is dna.
It might be that the gene that we think makes someone gay is really a gene for a week minded person that loves the smell of

CR: “I know what would fix the problem - abandon the facile notion of parental leave so no one is "entitled" to it.”
That wouldn’t be a fix, it would be a disaster.

There are not many women and men who want to go back to the lifestyle of the fifties; today’s families generally exist of dual earners or solo family models.

Working parents, regardless of family make-up need the support of family, government and employer.
That’s why many countries have had to put ‘parental leave’ on their agenda.

Isn’t the way we treat our children an indication of our level of civilasation?

Isn’t the involvement of fathers in child rearing valuable?
Many fathers want to be involved in caregiving and many mothers want that support of their partner. The same goes for families that exist of two men or two women- both partners want to be involved.

Eventually, Australian government will have to cave in- many European Western countries have found solutions. Australia is lagging behind

I don't understand.

Why is homosexuality immoral? Why is it abnormal? Why does your sexual preference matter?

Boaz cites biblical evidence. Runner perpetuates old steryotypes with no basis in fact. Col Rouge seems rants without giving a reason.

I just don't understand.

I've known good parents and woeful parents. I've known devoted partners and cheaters. And I've known all spectrums in between. There has never been any correlation between sexuality and any of these traits.

I will always support the rights of all people, regardless of sexuality, to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. And, in light of the wonderful contribution to society given by some of my gay and lesbian friends, I can never equate homosexuality with immorality.

If you are going to discriminate against someone on the basis of their sexuality, you may as well discriminate aginst them for the colour of their skin as well.

Boo Hoo

Gay and lesbian couples do not have the same accord re health funds. Neither did I as a single heterosexual female. And then when we married, my husband and I did not recieve any special benefits - and nor should we.

My husband and I do not recieve the same funding as couples who have children. That's life (good one Ned Kelly).

I have paid my way all of my life re private health funds. I think that as a heterosexual female - who was once on an IVF program (for which I paid heaps!! out of my own pocket), I have the right to say that I abhor the notion that gay and lesbian couples have the right to IVF.

Yes, they can have the right to equality re health funds for the basics of life as I do - but not for artificially producing children. And before you get on your high horse - I withdrew from IVF when my number came up. I had a big re-think about the notion of artificially producing children and what that would cost the community.

I am very sorry that I started on the IVF program. I am pleased that I withdrew.

I think that we should learn to live with what we are given.

Thanks to all