I don’t understand why so many people are freaking out about ‘gay’ marriage – first of all, it is NOT a ‘gay’ marriage – it is a marriage between two people of the same-sex. Traditionally speaking, the definition of marriage is a union between one man and one women. For me, this definition is based on suppression and the lack of acceptance of two people in love and this suppression and lack of acceptance is rooted mainly on religious beliefs.
If two people of the same-sex and in love threaten the sanctity of ‘traditional marriage’ – why are divorce rates around the world on the uprise? Isn’t divorce a religious faux pas? Let’s take at look at some marriage statistics:
United States of America
Men and women are marrying later in life than they were in 1960:
- 1960 Men – Age 23
- 2012 Men – Age 28
- 1960 Women – Age 20
- 2012 Women – Age 25
Marriage continues to decline – Between 1970 and 2010, marriage has declined by 50%
Divorce rates is twice as much as it was in 1960. Current estimates, suggest that 40-50% of recent marriages will end in separation or divorce.
Lowest Divorce Rates
- India (1.1%)
- Sri Lanka (1.5%)
- Japan (1.9%)
- Republic of Macedonia (5%)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (5%)
Highest Divorce Rates
- Sweden (54.9%)
- United States (54.8%)
- Belarus (52.9%)
- Finland (51.2%)
- Luxembourg (47.4%)
The United Kingdom placed 35th (42.6%), Germany was 31st (39.4%), France placed 29th (38.3%), Canada placed 26th (37%) and Spain placed 13th (15.2%).
I have been with my partner for 20 years – we are celebrating our 20th year at the end of October 2014. We didn’t have a huge desire to get married – but we did. In 2005, Canada became the 4th country in the world, the 1st outside of Europe, to legalize same-sex marriage. In March of 2007, my partner and I married. Since then, there hasn’t been catastrophic earthquakes and fire hasn’t rained from the sky in protest. My marriage hasn’t destroyed the marriages of so many of my heterosexual friends marriages. Nothing major has happened as a result of me marrying my same-sex partner.
So, I ask again, what is the problem of two people in love marrying each other? Why are so many, usually religious fanatics, so concerned about same-sex marriages when they should be more concerned with the increasing heterosexual divorce rates? Marriage licences come from the state and not from religious institutions. Under the law, we should all be treated equally and reap the same benefits as heterosexual couples do. It is for this reason (and because we love each other very much) that my partner and I married. I find that religion, for many people, is a justification for their fear, bigotry and sometimes hate. I am not religious and consider myself more agnostic (there is no proof that God does/doesn’t exist) but I do know that anytime religion is thrown into any social or political issues – there seems to be much more violence and intolerance regarding those social or political issues. Religion doesn’t and should never dictate laws. I have no problem with the religious beliefs of individuals but those beliefs should be justification to exclude the rights and civil liberties of a few.
Together, we can make the world a more positive one!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 