Same Sex Marriage ?

[mikey4444]

I, like most people I expect, am a bit confused over the current debate of same-sex marriage.

The ability to have a civil partner of the same sex has been on the statute book for a few years now.

1...If two men, or two women can become "civil partners" what will they gain from being married ?

2...What advantages over the civil partners arrangements that exist at present will they have under this new legislation ?

As I understand it, two people of different sexes can be married at the present time, in either a religious ceremony, or a civil ceremony, ie what we used to call a "Registry Office" do.

In other words, what will change ?

[LoftyLottie]

I mean protect yourself financially McFluff and make whats yours is yours and whats his is yours too!!!

[friedgreentomato]

Hi LL perhaps I explained myself badly.

At the end of the day it is about equality.

[LoftyLottie]

I agree Helen.

[FredPuli43]

Some of the objections couched in legal terms are nonsense of fanciful. One woman on the news was saying that the bill was flawed because a gay couple could not divorce for adultery and not have the marriage declared a nullity for non-consummation. (She didn't explain whether she meant wilful non-consummation or incapacity of consummation)

The first objection is met by pleading unreasonable behaviour, which is what is pleaded if a wife takes up with another woman. Pleas of nullity have persisted to modern times, but have been an anachronism. Wilful refusal to consummate is simply a way, the obvious way with heterosexuals, of saying that one party refused to accept they were married, and treated the marriage as void from the start. Any such declaration, by word or deed, could be treated as a contractual matter, but common sense suggests that it be treated as unreasonable behaviour

[mccfluff]

lol lofty, if i ever get married you are def invited :-)

[jackthehat]

At the risk of sounding like a stuck-record, it's all about equality.

I don't want to be C-P'd, I want to be able to say I am married.
I don't want to have to tick the box marked C-P when filling in any forms, thereby indicating to all and sundry that I am a Lesbian.

[friedgreentomato]

yaaay I was right ;-)

[craft1948]

Jack in one thread, quite some time ago, you said the reason you wanted to be able to get married, was purely because you couldn't.

[ludwig]

It's a case of the anachronism that is religion, clashing with modern society. I suspect religion will lose. I'm confused by it too though. I can't work out if I should care or not one way or the other.
I'd be quite happy for marriage to be abolished and for us all just to have civil partnerships.

[jackthehat]

craft - Apologies for the late response.

We are waiting until we *can* get married.....to get married.
We don't wish to be CP'd. Personally, I want to transition from being Single to being Married with no 'in-between'stage.

[LoftyLottie]

So would I Ludwig.

[ethandron]

Me too...except it's easier to say 'I'm married' than it is to say 'I'm civilly partnered' although in effect it's what I am, having married in a register office.

[Iluvspikey]

There lies the question Mikey - it's not even tax breaks as married couples don't even get those now - I can't understand what all the fuss is about.

[nannybooby]

We valready have same sex marriage in the civil and legal sense , however , the bible does say that marriage is for a man and a woman for the creation of children , me I couldnt give a tinker's cuss but if you are religious and object don't see how parliament can change God's law to suit its self ! All a waste of time and money.

[Zeuhl]

/ 'I'm civilly partnered' although in effect it's what I am, having married in a register office. /

No you're not. A register office marriage includes several things that a CP doesn't.

In particular, solemn vows and a declaration of marriage. Those are obligatory parts of the marriage ceremony in a register office or church.

A CP may add those as decorations, but they are not obligatory - the only obligatory part is the signing of the legal document that establishes financial rights etc

[ethandron]

A solemn vow to who?
We married in a register office because we don't believe in god or any other deity. To be honest I remember little or nothing of what we said, it was just something we felt that, at the time, we needed to do.
Maybe these days I'd be civilly partnered instead, vows mean nothing to me.