I’m sure Lisa McInerney will be writing a new column soon about the “Heteronormative Jackassery” of the Australians!

Hold on Barry. You can’t hold a whole population responsible for one mans ignorant comments. The post above does stare that the majority of the Australian people are in favour of same sex marriage.

The population elected the MPs who made the decision though, so it becomes representative of the population.

I’m a bit surprised to be honest. If a free vote was held in the Dail, I’m not sure it would pass, but I do think that more than 30% of TDs would vote for it.

rodrigo detriano, I don’t hold the entire population, my comment is directed at those that vote against the law

Read the article. One idiot made those offensive remarks and subsequently had to resign. Please don’t assume a whole nation agreed with him!

Excellent comment Barry.. Agreed!

Adam you never mentioned in your reply about asking the children about being adopted by same sex couples and I don’t have a strange logic I am very practical and realistic and I live in the real world not some fairytale land where everybody is happy !!!!!’ children will be children no matter how they are rared and can be very mean and nasty to each other and you Adam would be very strange to think otherwise

Ask the children? are you for real?
Why not ask them if they would prefer blonde parents,or maybe rich parents with a big house?
Very strange logic indeed. By the way I know a same sex couple with a well adjusted 10 yr old son,would you like to ask him if he would prefer having his two moms or a mom and a dad just because you think it’s right thing?
I think I know what his reply would be..oh and no he’s not bullied at school because of his same sex parents

^^What Adam said !!!

The people who made the decision for the nation are the people that were chosen by the nation to make such decisions

That’s how they dare to decide. You may not like the outcome, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time unfortunately

Well said. People really are stupid to the point where it is not even funny. In a Democracy you don’t vote on other human beings rights. If Americans had voted on African-Americans rights in the 1960s, nothing would have changed. Why not then vote on whether to make murder, legal? People need to seriously learn what a Democracy is; you can’t be selective about certain rights and call it a “Democracy”. It’s amazing how many adults can’t comprehend what a Democracy actually is, all they can do is yell “freedom’ like a moron.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dQq1W68i6I. This video is hilarious.

Lauren

You could say well at least they voted on it not sure if we’ve progressed that far in Ireland.
To be honest I think while the vast majority of the under 35 population couldn’t give a fiddlers who marries who but at the same time we underestimate the sizeable proportion of the population here that is strongly against gay marriage. Politicians believe and vote for what they believe is in there best interest.

It’s none of societies business who marries who along as they’re consenting adults?? So what about a brother and sister? should society allow that also? By the way I’m not against gays, personally on fence about gay marriage, I do favour civil unions!

By the way, I am in no means trying to equate homosexuality with incest. I just wanted to press you on your opinions on relationships of consenting adults.

As long as they’re involving nobody else in it, I honestly don’t care (if an incestuous couple were to have a child, it’s be a different story). I might not personally like the idea of incest, but what people get up to in their own home is not my business.

And homosexuality is nothing, nothing, nothing like incest, as you say John.

Rory, I absolutely agree and think it’s despicable that we haven’t legalized it here. I truly believe we will look back at this and compare it to the civil rights movement in 1960s America.

Jeez Lauren…where will you wear your jaunty sailors gate then? Anyway all for gay marriage…you can’t be happy all your life.

gate? Meant hat of course. Fail!

Not so. Every political party here bar one has endorsed both equal marriage and adoption rights. And single people, regardless of sexuality, can already apply to adopt. The ban on a gay couple adopting then is an anomoly that needs to go. And there are already same-sex couples raising children and it is wrong to deny these families equality under the law.

As for the vote in Australia, Senator Penny Wong put it very well – This vote may have been lost but the battle continues and the pro-equality argument will certainly prevail in Australia and in the near future too. Meanwhile a number of States and Territories have their own marriage equality bills which stand a much better chance of passing.

Democracy sucks when it exposes people as backwards and ignorant.

Majority rules and democracy aren’t the same thing.

Here here Gearoid! Rights should be incontrovertible, not to be decided by others. The German constitution was designed to recognise this. Maybe we and others should try follow suit.

If everyone were gay there’d be nő progression at all ;)

Well said figo

Probably the same way our lot still call themselves labour despite going into coalition with liars, incompetents and cutehoors.

yes it does cian. and marriage, as long as it enjoys legal status, is most definitely a right. if not, what is it?

Yes it is prejudiced to deny same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexual couples take for granted.

And “traditional marriage” as you put it is not threatened by allowing gay couples marry. Male-Female unions have not suddenly become extinct in the growing number of countries that have passed this reform. Plus marriage as a concept has changed and evolved over thousands of years.Yours is an anti-gay argument and has nothing to do with ‘protecting’ marriage.

Exactly John Boy!!

In every other branch science a different word is created to describe something distinctly

Yeah, know how you feel. That’s what it’s like when I have to treat a woman as if she’s equal! :D

Marriage is for a man and a woman not for same sex couples??
Says who?..hard to believe people still spout such drivel!!

Go home will ya Grainne!

Doubt that

@Simon McGrath

You can doubt all you want but it doesn’t alter the facts – There is a growing political and societal consensus in favour of marriage equality. 73% support in the most recent survey, a figure that is growing all the time. Extending equality to same-sex couples is both the right and popular thing to do. And for younger people in particular, ending this archaic discrimination is a no-brainer.

Well hopefully we the citizens will vote on this matter and see then we shall see what the outcome is when it comes to the ballot box ;-)

In a Republic, all ‘citizens’ should be afforded equality..Whether a referendum is required or not has yet to be determined but if that is what it takes, I have every confidence in the fairness of Irish voters to not deny equal rights to their gay friends, family members, work colleagues etc. Between 2006 and 2011, support for marriage equality has jumped from 51% to 73% – the trend in public opinion is clear.

But the human rights of a minority should not be up for a popular vote. And who got to vote on your right to marry a member of the opposite sex??…

All I was saying was that I doubted the change in the law would happen anytime soon in Ireland. Each to their own I say. Also if it went to a referendum I reckon it would be a lot closer then you think going by your figures

Well done Grainne..you aul…

The anti-gay side is clearly losing the argument about the principle involved in allowing same-sex couples to marry, so they hope scaremongering around children will work. It’s the oldest trick in the book..But children are already being raised by same-sex parents and gay people can already adopt. But why should such families and their children be discriminated against because of the prejudices of a minority? The rights of children will be advanced when this reform is passed.

I was waiting for someone to bring that up!
Marriage is NOT about children. It’s a union between to consenting adults. : )

What about a child of same sex parents starting school, are you suggesting they would be subject to some form of dicrimination…….from other children,…………..who perhaps have been brought up by people like yourself to not respect others ???

So Grainne what you are actually saying is that men are not capable of either explaing the menstrual cycle or reproduction to a child?

Does that mean a woman cannot explain what an ejaculation is to a boy?

Geta grip would ya!

Grainne I responded to the most ludicrous part. Any intelligent person would assume that if 2 gay men went to the effort to either adopt a child or use a surrogate would absolutely adore their daughter. The child with 2 adoring parents would be raised in a loving environment and would be happy. She also wouldnt think her situation abnormal as that would be the way she was raised. She probably wouldnt ask about a mammy until she was older and i would imagine 2 progressive gay dads would be proud to tell her of the efforts they went to to have a child.

Your statements are both discriminatory against men and homophobic to boot. I sincerely hope no man ever sires a child on you!

You have now succeeded in not only insulting gay people and same-sex parents but also single parents and under family units that do not meet your narrow definition of what constitutes a ‘real’ family.

All credible research in this area reveals that it is the quality of the parenting and not gender/sexuality that matters.

And again, it comes down to this fundamental point – same sex couples and families exist and they and their children should not be discriminated against in law and certainly not because of the ridiculous and discredited reasons you have outlined above.

You clearly know nothing about gay parents and their abilities and your views are driven by ignorance at best if not outright homophobia.

Thats because the catholics still control education unfortunately!

Lol when was the Catholic Church or any religion ever interested in science? Didn’t they burn scientists/philosophers/geniuses on the stake since it exposed their nonsense. I bet those books don’t teach evolution the so-called “theory”. Dinosaurs also don’t fit in with the Catholic Church’s timeline of how old the earth is; therefore Dinosaurs didn’t exist.

Gay marriage shouldn’t be an issue at all. There could even be a legal document (in case one dies and has no one to look after their children = adoption) which provides parents with the choice; of whether their kids are raised by: traditional parents, same-sex, or if both is okay with them. Problem solved for everyone, unless they are a bigot.

Children do not decide on who can adopt them!
I think you are pulling my leg….so you are not anti gay..
Yeah I don’t think women should be allowed to vote but I’m not anti women it’s just my opinion and black people shouldn’t have the same rights as whites but I’m not racist..sorry to point it out to you Grainne but you are most definitely anti gay.