david f,
In every case you quoted the marriage is between persons of opposite gender, a man and a woman.

The Coalition members can't have a conscience vote on anything, because firstly one must have a conscience. Conservatives are people without a conscience, just look at their track record.
Who did Abbott make his promise on gay marriage to before the last election? George Pell or was it god. Shadow Minister, are you a Anglican Shadow Minister.
I wonder, how many pedophile catholic priests last Sunday morning were lecturing their congregations from the pulpit on the immorality of gay marriage, Add to that lot, the ones who simply fornicate with their 'housekeepers'. What a hypocritical bunch!

Dear Josephus,

You wrote: "In every case you quoted the marriage is between persons of opposite gender, a man and a woman."

Apparently you didn't read my post carefully. I quote from it:

"Among some American Indian tribes there are berdaches. A berdache is a man who assumes a woman's role and marries another man."

DreamOn wrote: "stultified, bigoted, fruit cakes like *Josephus & Runner*"

I find the above language objectionable. Josephus and runner have different opinions from me. However, that does not make them less human or less entitled to be addressed with courtesy.

Paul your attempt to be inflammatory is pathetic. The labor party is hardly one to compare on morals having lied continuously to the electorate.

Personally I am an atheist and if you check my earlier posts I have always been in favour of gay marriage, and would prefer that the coalition and labor had not committed themselves against this in their election platform. I would support them changing their position for the election next year.

However, given the changes to the laws regarding de facto relationships under Howard, the rights afforded to "married" couples differ little from de facto couples, which reduces the impact on gay relationships to being "married" in name. This reduces the urgency of the issue from a human right to a recognition of status.

Dear Shadow Minister,

If you don't stop referring to the Prime Minister
in derogatory fashion. I shall stop responding to you.
Her name is Julia Gillard. Have the decency to address
her correctly.

But Lexi, if you deny SM his schoolboy fun then he'll cease to derive his meaning in life. "Juliar" is his oh-so-clever epithet for the PM. Can't you see the kudos he consistently gleans from this (diabolically clever) referencing technique?