OK, this is about the US and not Australia - but it's directly applicable to our situation here in Oz. Two quotes illustrate why.
'A law that denies a group of citizens equal access to a public
institution serves no other purpose than to declare that group to be
lesser. And this is why it is nonsense to say gays and lesbians can
enjoy equality before the law while they are barred from taking their
place in one of the most fundamental institutions .......marriage.'
Well, we know that's what the government and their Christian supporters think - they talk about ceremonies celebrating our unions as 'mimicking' marriage. In case you're in any doubt:
mim·ic
(Dictionary.com)
Gives you a fair idea of what they think of us, doesn't it? They think we're mocking them, sending them up, making fun of them, 'apeing' them like an unthinking animal. Makes all their talk of 'respect' somewhat hollow, doesn't it?
And:
'There is one other key difference between Europe and America [and Oz]: ours is a
federalist system, in which power is shared among states and the
federal government. This, too, is a reminder of why the "m" word is not
merely symbolic here, and why state civil unions will never fit the
bill. The words we use are a measurement of how our society feels about
the value of what's being named. Until the federal government repeals
the odious provision of the "defense of marriage act" [in Oz, the amendment to the Marriage Act] that bars
recognition of my partnership--even when the people of my state want it
otherwise--I'll be reminded every day my boyfriend is not here with me
just what my country thinks of the value of our relationship, and of
the dignity and meaning of our deepest emotions.'
(Comments and emphases mine.)
ONLY a national recognition system which is INDISTINGUISHABLE from marriage - whatever you call it - will answer. Anything less is not a gift, it's an insult.
'A law that denies a group of citizens equal access to a public
institution serves no other purpose than to declare that group to be
lesser. And this is why it is nonsense to say gays and lesbians can
enjoy equality before the law while they are barred from taking their
place in one of the most fundamental institutions .......marriage.'
Well, we know that's what the government and their Christian supporters think - they talk about ceremonies celebrating our unions as 'mimicking' marriage. In case you're in any doubt:
mim·ic
| 1. | to imitate or copy in action, speech, etc., often playfully or derisively. |
| 2. | to imitate in a servile or unthinking way; ape. |
| 3. | to be an imitation of; simulate; resemble closely. |
(Dictionary.com)
Gives you a fair idea of what they think of us, doesn't it? They think we're mocking them, sending them up, making fun of them, 'apeing' them like an unthinking animal. Makes all their talk of 'respect' somewhat hollow, doesn't it?
And:
'There is one other key difference between Europe and America [and Oz]: ours is a
federalist system, in which power is shared among states and the
federal government. This, too, is a reminder of why the "m" word is not
merely symbolic here, and why state civil unions will never fit the
bill. The words we use are a measurement of how our society feels about
the value of what's being named. Until the federal government repeals
the odious provision of the "defense of marriage act" [in Oz, the amendment to the Marriage Act] that bars
recognition of my partnership--even when the people of my state want it
otherwise--I'll be reminded every day my boyfriend is not here with me
just what my country thinks of the value of our relationship, and of
the dignity and meaning of our deepest emotions.'
(Comments and emphases mine.)
ONLY a national recognition system which is INDISTINGUISHABLE from marriage - whatever you call it - will answer. Anything less is not a gift, it's an insult.
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