Sunday, May 13, 2012

This is not a subject for censorship

I'm in an odd position on the marriage debate, I was married, now I'm not, though I do live and share my life with a very wonderful woman. I'm firmly of the opinion though that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, not a man and a man nor a woman and a woman. I don't have a problem with them joining together in a legal partnership to live their lives, it does bother me when they choose however to attempt to call it something it is not.
Cranmer (a fellow blogger) has run into a problem with the ASA for advertising a link supporting this view...

I see nothing wrong with this.
Now you may be pro, anti or indifferent to the debate itself, however that does involve supporting the right to have a debate and produce evidence/statistics supporting your view. The ASA are attempting to silence a blogger simply for supporting a viewpoint they do not like and demanding evidence that the ad itself is supported by facts (it is, it's based on a genuine survey).
This is I suppose an "I'm Spartacus" moment. You may not support Cranmer's view or mine, but you do need to support the right for us to have such views. It might be your turn next, after all...

2 annotations:

Barman said...

Posted at mine...

Anonymous said...

There is no prohibition on gay couples referring to their union as marriage. They are at liberty to use any terms and titles they want.
The gay marriage controversy is about the designation applied by the state, the legal implications of that designation, and the disposition of the ECHR with regard to anti-discrimination regulations.
If the state makes no differentiation between gay and conventional marriages, then the churches will come under pressure to offer the same wedding services to gay couples. They will not be able to apply a blanket ban on gay weddings, any more than they could ban church weddings for blacks.
The only criteria they will be allowed to apply, will be those which do not disadvantage any protected group.
In all tangible and material terms, the civil partnership offers the gay couple all the benefits and responsibilities which directly match those of married couples. Except, they don't get to demand a religious wedding in the established church.