One of my childhood friends now lives in Paris. He is highly intelligent, highly educated, very musical, very opinionated politically and, gay. In Greek politics he trends towards New Democracy, as I do, rather than to PASOK (the local right/left divide, which has no correspondence with US politics. New Democracy and PASOK would be considered left of center in the US. Think different flavors of Democrats. In international and US politics he is definitely left of center, as I am.)
I asked him what he thought of gay marriage. He had been through a highly religious period (he had issues) several years ago, yet is now comfortable with his identity, so I was curious, particularly since we were about to be joined by a gay couple who had exchanged vows twice, once in Berlin and once in London (I do not know the legal status of these vows in either country. I think that in Germany they were binding and in England ceremonial, but I could be mixed up.).
His position on gay marriage...
...was to completely drop the word
marriage. Just press for civil unions, such as the French version he described called Pax (sp?) which give you all the legal rights of a spouse, and avoid the provocative term (his description of the French system.)
The religious commitment of two people to each other is between them and whatever they hold holy. There is no need to involve the state or society.
The legal commitment of two people to each other is basically contract law. There is no need to involve religion or morality.
Keep the two separate.
x
So, a poll.