California and Maine have both banned gay marriage. Is it time for gays to be satisfied with Civil Unions? And do you agree that gay civil unions may also be outlawed if gays keep pushing for marriage because people will tire of the discomfort caused by the constant threat to their basic idea of Nature.

there will never be any such thing as gay marriage whether acknowledged by the law or not.

It's not fair is it? Why should only normal people have to suffer the outcomes of marriage?

runner: "there will never be any such thing as gay marriage whether acknowledged by the law or not."

That runner, is a stroke of genius. What a wonderful solution to the gay marriage problem. I wound never of thought of it myself - but now I see written down it seems so obvious.

Yes - let them marry in law, and then tell everyone that objects to believe they aren't. The beauty of it is of course they most people who object are religious fundamentalists, and they can will themselves to believe in anything.

I don't know. If I say I am a gay wife people may get the wrong idea. Maybe best if they invent new words for new realities rather than take old words and change their meaning. What could happen is that in a marriage between man and woman where the woman is main breadwinner, she could ask to be called the husband. Brothers and sisters could demand to be called sibling. Uncle is a woman? Or will a male wife still be Uncle. Too confusing when words have gender meanings. Invent new words.

The odments of this world have even hyjacked words from kids stories, how low is that.
America should be congratulated for not allowing such a sacred institution between a man and woman, to be infiltrated by odd people.
The word Marriage belongs to man and woman.
There is a big enough downturn now in marriage.
Shacking up is the in thing with people who have not got the maturity to handle marriage.
I can handle the thought of two women in the same bed,[exciting] but not two men.
Disgusting and immoral.

Yeah too rite Desmond. And I used to like 'Gay Time' Icecreams, but those disgusting gays just couldn't help but to ruin my icecream! I think it's a conspiracy to make people ask for a gay time. Bloody odd people, they should leave all my words alone.

Seriously man, WTF?

Truth
The US State Department ITR law regs (about restricted exports) list Tasmania (TA) different from Australia (AS) . Which means if you import restricted stuff to Melbourne, Darwin, King Island etc.You need another US state dept license to export or allow it to go to Tassie you can end up like Brian Howe! I'm never surprised by anything out of United States of Narcissism.

So long as they have the same legal and cultural standing (long term public/social commitment) what's in a name?

I think these bumper stickers say it
rather well:

1) Can I vote on YOUR marriage?

2) Ban gay bashing not gay marriage.

3) Intolerance isn't Christian.

4) Gay or straight
Black or White
Marriage is a Civil Right.

5) Do gay marriages threaten straight marriages?

6) Stop gay marriage
Because there's nothing
God hates more
Than people who love each other!

TruthNow78 <"...gay civil unions may also be outlawed if gays keep pushing for marriage because people will tire of the discomfort caused by the constant threat to their basic idea of Nature."

The only people 'discomforted' by this supposed threat will be those mad religious nuts who want everyone to follow only their 'idea of Nature', and all those who are ignorant enough to believe that homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle.

The rest of us don't really give a damn what other people do in their own bedrooms, or who they marry. It is no one else's business, and will not affect anyone else's life in the slightest.

This topic is all about "winding people up"; it's not serious. Gals, why reply to idiots? Not worth it.

obviously those who often claim to believe in science choose to ignore the fact that the anal passage is designed for other purposes than that which homosexuals would have you believe. Talk to any honest doctor in a disease unit in a hospital and he/she will tell you. In my experience the militant homosexual lobby is the most intolerant mob on earth. They have a lot in common with violent environmentalist which is kind of ironic considering they worship nature.

runner,

Some information.

Many heterosexual couples enjoy anal sex, the anus is a very sensitive part of the body.

Also, some gay couples don't engage in anal sex at all, would you be ok with couples like this?

You just reminded me of a story, Houellebecq.

>>Many heterosexual couples enjoy anal sex, the anus is a very sensitive part of the body<<

Three engineering students were arguing in the pub about who designed the human body.

"Definitely a mechanical engineer" said the first one "Just look at the complexity of all those joints"

"Nup" says the second, "must have been an electrical engineer. Think of the nervous system - thousands of electrical connections."

The third engineer takes a swig at his beer.

"You're both wrong. It had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

TheMissus,
Good point! The words already exist it is just that gays find them distasteful.

who cares?
Why shouldn't gay people not marry? It is up to them, if they are happy, great! It is for no one else to decide.
Bloody moralists everywhere. If all those moralists only have stood up when we went to Iraq, with no questions asked, 1 million people could still be alive.
You are the same bunch of people who feel at unease that the US is now run by a black man, as you are against muslims, refugees and so on.
Look into your heart and give life a chance.

31 out of 31 United states have passed referenda that declare marriage to be only between a man and a woman.
This is reprehensible.
Anybody should be allowed to marry anyone (or two or more) that they want.
It's only fair.
After all, this is the 21st century.
Except:
Nobody should be allowed to marry their sibling or parent/child.
Nor their pet.
Nor their ass.
Nor their neighbour's ass.
After all, these are against the order of nature,
unlike same sex marr.....

HermanYutic,
Are you telling me anal sex relationships are the order of nature?

Hi Philo,
are you having fun(sex) only for the reproduction purpose?
Some like it anal, whether fem and fem, fem and male, male and male. Some enjoy oral, and some are happy with the third possibility, not that there are other possibilities to enjoy as well.
It all comes back to personal preferences and likings, and people in any relationship should do what they enjoy, whatever practice or *entrance* is involved. And if a couple (in any configuration) chooses to have another person involved in their fun games, so why not? Your imagination sets the limit, and as long others in that relationship are happy with and no one is hurt, this is fine with me.
We are living in the 21 century, remember? Loosen up, there is only one life.

statistics show hat 99% of all divorce is caused by marriage.
who needs it

m2catter,
The practise of homosexuality was happening 3,000 years BC so is not a new evolutionary phenonom and modern societies are endeavouring to improve relationships and health, which is not one of the goals of the majority of those practising homosexual acts

Philo,

of course anal sex is nature. The point never the less remains it's up to the couple involved what THEY want to do. I remember one call I took from a middle aged lady 28 yrs married, call to discuss the unsatisfactory nature of her sex life ...always missionary position. she asked me question about if I had done various position and acts and whether it was worth the effort to get hubby to try.
NB some people rang to discuss these subjects to 'get their rocks off'.

My take was that she was genuine and suggested they seek the advice of a GP etc. She calmly told me she wanted to know if they really worked and had sought the GP but he was unhelpful and had run out of options.

Some night later she rang me to say I was right,( although I hadn't said much at all other than 'tried and OK to a few activities') some of the positions were better(?) and she enjoyed one 'kinky one' she called anal penetration and advised me to try it if I hadn't already (it was different).

PS she was a church deaconess.
PPs on closer discussion it was with a lover not her hubby, because he refused.

Each to their own

examinator,
I suggest you report to the Church that one of their deaconesses is engaging in sex outside marriage with a lover and see what the response would be. Tell her husband she has a lover and see what his response will be. She is dishonouring her self, not just because she prefers anal sex, but because she is cheating in the marriage vows.

Of course those who dishonour their sexuality and exclusive relationships will try to avoid being found out.

It seems to me that gay men have a much lower profile in Australia than in the UK at the current time. An awful lot of people in the UK these days are familiar with and comfortable with gay work colleagues, relatives and personal friends, and consequently have come to have an accurate understanding of what homosexuality is (i.e. intrinsic, instinctual attraction to people of one's own sex, irrespective of one might do in terms of sexual behaviour), while the responses to this another topics here in Australia show very clearly and consistently that a substantial proportion don't have that familiarity and understanding, but instead think of it in primarily in terms of particular sex-acts and as a 'perversion', rather as most British did in the 1950's, when homosexuality was hidden.

Australia may well also have a larger proportion of people who look to religious teachings and belief systems rather than rational principles and civil laws derived from them, as a basis for their value systems - that is a common, uniting phenomenon of the aggregate psychology of new countries.

In the past 15 years, a great deal of progress has been made in the field of neurology, through techniques such as functional NMR and scanning tomography. Although snippets get reported in science-oriented news outlets like Science Daily, it seems most people remain unaware that neurologists can 'see' the physical, micro-anatomical differences between homosexual and heterosexual brains and the differences in brain activity between homosexual and heterosexual members of the same sex - and that these differences are there before the age of three. Development of homosexual orientation appears to arise in utero, more from physiological, hormonal influences than genetics. A degree of same-sex attraction is a natural and universal trait of the human race, and quite possibly evolved as a cement to aid cooperative bonding, as is the case in our nearest living relative the bonobo.

Nice work, Rubberneck.

I suspect that your approach may be far too factual, rational, detached and even-handed for certain members of the audience here in Australia.

But thanks anyway.