Good to see things haven't changed in three years, except for maybe the level of trolling.
Let's be blunt.
I identify as being gay, and because of that would like the opportunity of marrying someone (regardless of gender) in the future.
That is my point of view that I have established based on my sexuality.
This changed slightly over the last couple of years, though made me more adamant to advocate for the legalization of marriage equality. What is often missed in this type of conversation are trans people. A friend of mine has recently started going through transitioning, which is a courageous move upon her part. To complicate matters, she is married and has children. She cannot change her gender on her birth certificate, because it would then nullify her marriage to her partner. I can't even begin to imagine what her and her family have been through, nor are still going through - in regards to their internal struggles, as well as having to deal with what other people have to say. Imagine now having to deal with a technicality such as marriage being specifically "between a man and a woman" (Marriage Act 2004, thanks John Howard...), and all the legal ramifications that would in sue if they did decide to dissolve the marriage.
Just some food for thought.
As for gays having children, there are already families where this occurs. I'm not going to say that all of them are perfect and should be the envy of those in heterosexual families - I feel that this would be harming, instead of supporting my point. To group people based on their sexuality, and try and find a correlation between that and how good a parent they will be I think is just stupid. There will be good parents, and there will be bad parents.
For those who argue that the ideal family must have a mother and a father - I find this hard to believe again, that this outcome is based on the gender of parents rather than their ability to parent. It also ignores the change in the types of families our society is seeing. Who's to say that a children not raised by parents in conjunction with grandparents are better than just the nuclear family model, or children that are raised by their parents and friends. I feel that as soon as someone screams "Won't someone please think of the children" minds close, rational thought goes out of the window. Please feel free to argue strongly about this point in particular, as I want to flesh out some more discussion around this.
Personally, I would rather adopt than go through IVF. There are people I know that find it important to continue their legacy, and have a child that is biologically theirs, which I can also understand. I disagree with the term "acquiring" a baby, as it sterilises the process of all emotion. There is are lots of things to consider when having a baby, and even though it is through IVF treatment, the commitment and the work that has to be done is no less. If anything, IVF is the more painstaking process, considering all the money hungry legal processes and waiting that has to be endured. To think that people would go through this process on a whim because they have the cash lying around, is quite ignorant.
I'd like to propose a question:
"If marriage equality was passed, in your opinion how would this affect marriage as an institution, and those already married?"
