Leigh - western tradition is founded on the roman empire, which in turn derived much of its tradition from hellenism - the Greeks.

Whilst I suppose you can point to the moral depravity of the fall of Rome, this ignores the earlier precedent - the Greek empire started out as gay as can be and became one of the mightiest empires to exist, challenging numerically superior empires for supremacy.
In fact, it wasn't unusual in Greece for men to have other men as lovers and women purely for procreation.

Note that I'm not advocating this, as another poster attempted to pin on me when I stated in a general discussion thread on civil unions. I don't think anyone has the right to be disloyal to their partner and I do believe in monogamy.

But to claim that homosexuality is evidence of a society in decline is just plain wrong - this hatred of homosexuality came about as a derivative of the traditions of the puritans, which in terms of world history is a very recent thing.

Learn a little more history Leigh. Your thesis here is fundamentally flawed.

I agree with Quick response, the utilitarian calculus of costs and benefits is an inadequate moral framework to evaluate this issue, which I believe is about respecting the dignity and autonomy of the individual and the State’s obligation not to discriminate between citizens. It’s good to see the political right moving on this issue – maybe we’ll get some progressive legislation from the new government.

Quick response said : "At a personal level, marriage may help to minimise risks. For example, if I am ever in a coma at hospital, I want the medical staff to take their instructions from my married partner. Currently, hospital policy will ensure that my partner's views don't count, and at worst, he may be even be refused visiting rights because he is 'not related.'"

Sympathise with your position here mate, why don't you investigate getting an enduring guardian arrangment in place with your other half, until such time as legislation goes your way? That would give you the ability to choose whom makes your medical decisions. Swap enduring guardianships with your partner... seems an easy temporary fix here to me.

Leigh.. your rubbish post barely deserves a response but agree with what other have said, plus the biological fact that literally hundreds of animal species have been observed to engage in homosexual behaviour. Take your bigotry elsewhere.

'The biggest challenge to marriage over the last few decades has been casual sex and cohabitation, since their legitimisation took away one of the strongest reasons to walk down the aisle at a relatively young age.'

I could not agree with the author more. It seems that God has handed many over to a depraved mind. They refuse to accept the facts on disease and sodomy and turn a blind eye to the damage caused to society by dreaming up pseudo science and psychology that this condition is somehow in the genes. No doubt paedophiles would argue the same.

Take God out if the equation and you always end up with total depravity. God help our future generations. Hopefully we will have a few more brave politicians like Fred Nile to bring some sort of sanity to our nations depraved mind.

Predictably the usual sick obsession with gay people's personal lives on the part of religious fanatics everytime the issue of same-sex marriage comes up (someone mentioned Nile - case in point). And the author should note - it is "same-sex marriage" that is the issue and not "gay marriage". "Gay marriage" would be marriage between gay men and lesbians - which would be perfectly okay as per the Marriage Act 1961.

"Take God out if the equation and you always end up with total depravity. God help our future generations. Hopefully we will have a few more brave politicians like Fred Nile to bring some sort of sanity to our nations depraved mind."

Jesus wept.