I know awesome people!

[highlyeccentric]

Like the fabulous daiskmeliadorn, who is interviewed here by one of the local free LGBT papers about her case AGAINST gay (and any) marriage rights.

Comments

[niamh-sage.livejournal.com]

Is marriage still considered to have a significantly different/higher status among the general Australian population? It seems to me that now that other kinds of relationships are accorded same or similar legal rights, marriage no longer has the same status-related cachet that it once did. The number of people choosing not to get married these days reflects this change of status, IMO.

On the abolition of marriage, my personal feeling is to let everyone choose for themselves. Abolishing marriage would by definition diminish the possible range of relationship diversity by removing one of the relationship options, no? Better just to educate people in the choices they (and others) have available to them, in order to increase general acceptance of all the myriad possibilities.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

No, there are actually significant legal differences. Mostly to do with next-of-kin status and pensions, I think. Some of the differences bite defacto het couples as well as gay couple, but I think a defacto het couple is treated as married after a period of x number of years whereas gay couples remain at defacto status.

Me, I don't know about abolishing marriage, but I do think the link between church and state marriage needs to be severed. Let the state register whatever couples it wants and the church bless whatever couples IT wants- then the church doesn't hold the state back, or, as could be the case, the state hold the church back.

[niamh-sage.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree with that. It's how things are done here in NL - marriage is a state institution, and the church part is optional and has no legal status. If you want to get married in a church, you have to get married at the town hall first otherwise the marriage is not recognised. Also, there are other forms of legally recognised relationships here, such as a registered partnership, which accords the same legal status as in a marriage. Most people also get some kind of notarised contract drawn up regarding what will happen in the event of death or the relationship ending, too, so that both parties are protected legally whatever happens. It seems pretty well organised. Oh, and also there's gay marriage here, which as far as I can tell is handled exactly the same as heterosexual marriage wrt the legalities.

In Australia, I think public and legislative attention should be turned towards making sure that all forms of committed relationships are treated the same in law, rather than trying to give everyone a blanket right to get married in the traditional sense. Also, like you said, make marriage a legal rather than religious institution. Mind you, I think this might already be the case, because (if I remember correctly) when you get married in church, there is a particular section of the ceremony that is required by law to be included. The difference between Aus and NL is that the legal part of the marriage doesn't have to take place in the town hall, but can be carried out in the church.

[daiskmeliadorn.livejournal.com]

*gasp* thank you for the linky action! :)