Wish I were you and you were me!

In the UK where civil partnerships are the norm granting all the rights of marriage without the name, no registrar or other government official may refuse to join a gay couple in a civil partnership if it conflicts with their religious beliefs and the law is upheld. The Brits have legislation that no business and no government official is allowed to discriminate against gay people in the delivery of goods and services. Further, the UK has legislation that compels the RC church from discriminating against gay couples who wish to adopt a child via a church agency. When will the U.S. get with the program and follow Canada and the UK’s example? We’re supposed to be the greatest nation on earth? Huh?

Canada is a much more secular nation than the U.S. It helps that the largest Protestant denomination in Canada (the United Church) supports and celebrates same-sex marriage, as do many other Protestant denominations and Jewish faith communities (like Reform and Reconstructionist).

Religion is not the problem. In fact, liberal religion proved to be very helpful in advancing the cause of same-sex marriage. But conservative and fundamentalist religious traditions opposed same-sex marriage, as they always do. Fundamentalism is the problem, not religion per se. But even some traditional religious communities (Sikh, Hindu, Asian Buddhist, etc.) acknowledge the (secular) validity of same-sex marriage, even though they do not celebrate them.

Liberal Americans are a lot like mainstream Canadians. It’s the fundamentalists who are completely different from everyone else. Keep fighting for your rights!

It is difficult to compete with church/religious infrastructures that are well grounded, and created/maintained by the charitable tax exemption system. The reality under such a system is that same sex marriage proponents are funding the campaign for equal marriage, while unwillingly funding part the campaign against same sex marriage rights, within the current taxation system.

While we faced similar problems here in Canada, we do not have a ballot initiative system within our federal elections system. These ballot initiatives, and loose rules surrounding religious involvement in them, appear to be the nemesis of the US equal marriage movement.

Marriage is a way for a couple to publicly pronounce their love for and commitment to each other.

Here is how your country appears to an outsider on this matter. You proudly proclaim that there is separation of church and state. I find the only that separates you and extremist Muslim countries is that they admit that religion is used in determining their laws.

One of your most “sacred” documents states that all men are created equal and you espouse your democracy as the greatest in the world. Yet for people who are not white males to get equal treatment and rights it has taken protests, legislation and court challenges to get these rights. Remember when women were not considered to be “persons” and therefore were not permitted to vote.

Yes, it took a long time to get gay marriage in Canada. The government finally recognized that this type of discrimination was wrong according to our “Charter of Rights and Freedoms”. This stated that no one shall be discriminated on the basis of their sex. So, if a same sex couple applies for a licence and are refused, then one of them is being discriminated on the basis of their sex. And guess what, there were American religious groups who were sending money to Canadian groups to fight this battle towards equality. I can imagine the outrage that would occur if a foreign country were to send funds to yours to fight an issue. (Just because you are a world power does not make you boss of the world.) Charlton Heston even had the nerve to come up here and try and get us to change OUR constitution to include the right to bear arms.

But I digress.

To me the bottom line is this. Either you Americans believe in your constitution or you don’t. (Remember, separation of church and state?) If you do not want to grant the same rights to every citizen then they should receive a discount on their income taxes or not pay them at all because they are considered second class citizens.

As I understand it, and to put it broadly, a state and provincial marriage license are pretty much the same thing… and government officials in Canada and (briefly) in pre-prop 8 California would have to give out the licenses to same sex couples… but religious officials would not.