Don’t call it marriage – interesting comment from Northern Territory gay community,
Darwin restaurateur John Spellman is one of the pioneers of the gay movement in the NT. During the 80s he made a name by running the popular gay nightspots known as Fannies and Dicks.
Mr Spellman is an advocate of equality for the Territory’s gay community.
However, he thinks a decision by the Northern Territory branch of the Labor Party to push the Federal Parliament to legalise gay marriage is wrong.
“I believe that the federal party’s attitude is better. The word marriage shouldn’t be used in any form of, how do we put it, cohabitation ceremony. If you want a commitment ceremony why not?” he said.
“But marriage is not the right word. It’s religious. It’s for a man and a woman to produce children. And I think you’d offend a lot of people by using the word marriage.
“Civil union, call it gay commitment ceremony, call it what you like. It’s a commitment between two couples. It’s a legal thing. If they want a legal thing – legislation – some other word but not marriage.”
Article, NT Labor urges action on gay marriage. Also, Marriage: why not a threesome? and ‘marriage’: why corrupt it?
Yay! Some sense, at last. There has been far too much unthinking “emotive-ism” (is that even a word?) in this “debate” so far: “Not allowing same-sex marriage is discrimination”, “The Government has no right legislating how two people live their private relationships”, “As long as TWO people (why only two?) love one another, that should be all that matters”, etc. And now, at last, we have some great wisdom coming from a gay-rights advocate. Praise God! (if only others will listen)