Monday 13 June 2011

Marriage Equality: I'm Moving On

I'm embarked on a project of reflection on my specific political and moral beliefs and how they fit with my liberal and libertarian beliefs in general

No. Jae "Marriage Equality" Kay is not saying he's changed his mind on the whole marriage equality thing. But things have changed, so have I, and I'm looking towards the next objective.

At the beginning of last year I still felt like a very lonely voice screaming in the dark for marriage equality. But now far more influential and inspirational folks have taken up the battle. LGBT people, the Government and the general population have all shifted definitively towards the position that marriage equality is the way forward. I think the campaign is now in safe hands and I can begin fighting for what I really believe in rather than this painfully unnecessary sideshow caused by Labour's "civil partnership" legislation.

I know, you may not believe me, but I didn't use to be a big fan of marriage, however, the unfairness of civil partnerships spurred me to anger and each person who told me to shut up about marriage and embrace civil partnerships (all gay men by the way) only made me more determined to get what I felt was right. Of such petty asides, a one-man campaign was born. But I believe in a higher goal and that is marriage reform.

I've written about this before, and with my current return to libertarian politics feel now is the time to begin the fight (in a more general fight against Government interference) to get Government out of the marriage business. I have no doubts it'll be another lonely fight, but with marriage equality nearly in place, I hope it'll be less divisive.

When Government stops defining what marriage is, parties can start to form more individual and relevant partnership contracts which reflect their own lives and decisions. That's my new goal.

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist

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