Gillard digs in on gay marriage - WAToday.com.au
Prime Minister Julia Gillard remains opposed to gay unions, putting her at odds with right-wing Labor powerbroker Mark Arbib.
Senator Arbib is the first frontbencher to say he believes his party should support gay marriage.
He says gay people should have the legal right to get married, and MPs should be given a conscience vote on the controversial matter.
"If I was the parent of a gay son or daughter I don't know how I could tell them they didn't have the same rights as I did," Mr Arbib told News Ltd papers.
"I understand the Labor Party platform does not reflect that view at the moment but I hope one day that view changes."
Ms Gillard said Senator Arbib was voicing his personal views and would need to raise the matter at the ALP's national conference if he wanted to change the party's current policy, which opposes gay unions.
"Mark has expressed his personal views and no doubt he will take them to the next national conference, which is the proper place to have this debate," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne today.
"We have currently a party policy, the party policy's crystal clear, that marriage is between a man and a woman.
"That's what the marriage act says and that's how it should stay."
As a gay man, in a long term relationship, I am actually happy that our relationship is not defined by an act of parliament (legislation). How do you married folk feel about that? If "marriage" is about love and commitment, what happens when you break THAT law? If its about religion, then why do we need law to define it?
Apart from all that, because, frankly, I don't really care if heterosexual (man and woman) couples need laws to define their relationships (bit sad really), more to the point, will Mark Arbib now move to destabilize the Gillard Prime Ministership as a result of this 'disagreement'?
Afterall, he did it to Rudd over Mining taxes!
Sylvestor
