Same Sex Marriage

21.03.2010 |

There is a worldwide debate going on about the marriage of same-sex partners in which opinions differ considerably.

Same-sex partners fight for an equal status of their marriage before law worldwide. (jlp)

Same-sex partners fight for an equal status of their marriage before law, that is, before the state and its institutions. One of the crucial questions is whether sexual orientation itself is in any way related to the

institution of marriage. According to the legal definition in most countries, only two persons of the opposite sex can get married. However, nothing is said about the sexual orientation of these two people. How and with whom a person has sex is left for the person to decide.

The aim of a relationship that consists of two people, which is well-established in our culture ever since the latter exists, is to preserve a certain structure of the society. The discussion about this structure is necessary if we want to make changes to the basic cell.

To put it simple, a family is a machine for the production and upbringing of children. If the family does not ensure that, it does not serve its purpose - in the eyes of the state. The state sometimes offers families an adoption. Here, same-sex partners demand an equal status, as experience shows that they can adopt a child and also raise it. If same-sex partners cannot have children, they can certainly raise them equally well as the people in any other type of a relationship.

Family is a machine for the production and upbringing of children. (jlp)

Some people refer to particular studies and some to others when discussing the influence on the child’s development in terms of the relationship structure. But the question is what kind of a society do we want to live in? The introduction of a novelty such as a complete redefinition of the basic cell of society will always be an experiment with unpredictable consequences, which cannot be labelled in advance as "good" or "bad". The fact remains that the society is slowly changing. However, no government will act against the opinion of the majority. We have to understand activists who fight for their rights: it's through gradually expanded discussion that the majority will accept a wider concept of same-sex issues.

It's important that sexuality as such disappears from the core of this discussion, as it is unimportant in the “traditional” family and should also be unimportant in same-sex families. The reproductive function of a family is not fully related to a sexual act. The act is merely a biological fact which ensures reproduction, but this isn't its only function. Sex can influence our relationships, families and the larger environment, while it remains unimportant in terms of raising children. The personal characteristics which aren't related to sexual orientation are far more important.