NZ Politician Maurice Williamson’s Wonderful Speech

I admire the government of New Zealand for passing the gay marriage bill. New Zealand became the 13th country to approve gay marriage. Their Marriage Amendment Bill was passed 77 votes to 44 last April 17, 2013.

The pink equal sign (on a red background) became popular on Facebook as a symbol for gay marriage equality.

It was not a close battle between those who favor the bill and those who are opposed to it. This is a clear indication that they are very open-minded towards equality. I hope before I become a senior citizen, the mentally of Filipinos towards same sex marriage would also change for the better.

Here’s the transcript of New Zealand politician Maurice Williamson’s speech regarding the legalization of gay marriage in their country. I hope the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and those who worry too much about the effect of gay marriage in the Philippines would read (or listen) this transcript.

Wonderful speech in support of gay marriage

"I've had a reverend in my local electorate say that the 'gay onslaught will start the day this bill is passed.' So we are struggling to know what the gay onslaught will look like. We don't know if it will come down the Pakaranga highway as a series of troops or whether it will be a gas that flows the electorate and blocks us all in.

I also had a Catholic priest tell me that I was supporting an unnatural act. I found that interesting coming from someone who has taken an oath of celibacy for his whole life. Celibacy... I haven't done it so I don't know what it's about.

I also had a leader tell me I would burn in the fires of hell for eternity and that was a bad mistake because I've got a degree in physics. I used the thermodynamic laws of physics. I put in my body weight and my humidity and so on. I assumed the furnace to be at 5000 degrees and I will last for just on 2.1 seconds. It's hardly eternity. What do you think?

I also head some more disgusting claims about adoption. Well, I have got three fantastic adopted kids. I know how good adoption is, and I have found some of the claims just disgraceful. I found some of the bullying tactics really evil. I gave up being scared of bullies when I was at primary school.

However, a huge amount of the opposition was from moderates, from people who were concerned, who were seriously worried, about what this bill might do to the fabric of our society. I respect their concern. I respect their worry. They were worried about what it might do to their families and so on.

Let me repeat to them now that all we are doing with this bill is allowing two people who love each other to have that love recognised by way of marriage. That is all we are doing. We are not declaring nuclear war on a foreign State. We are not bringing a virus in that could wipe out our agricultural sector forever.

We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognised, and I cannot see what is wrong with that for neither love nor money. I just cannot. I cannot understand why someone would be opposed. I understand why people do not like what it is that others do. That is fine. We are all in that category.

But I give a promise to those people who are opposed to this bill right now. I give you a watertight guaranteed promise.

The sun will still rise tomorrow. Your teenage daughter will still argue back to you as if she knows everything. Your mortgage will not grow. You will not have skin diseases or rashes or toads in your bed. The world will just carry on.

So do not make this into a big deal.

This bill is fantastic for the people it affects, but for the rest of us, life will go on.

Finally, can I say that one of the messages I had was this bill was the cause of our drought. Well, if any one you follow my Twitter account, you will see that in the Pakuranga electorate this morning, it was pouring with rain. We had the most enormous big gay rainbow across my electorate. It has to be a sign. If you are a believer, it is certainly a sign.

Can I finish, for all those who are concerned about this, with a quote from the bible. It is Deuteronomy. I thought Deuteronomy was a cat out of the musical 'Cats,' but never mind. The quote is Deuteronomy 1:29. 'Be ye not afraid.'"

(Transcript taken from International Business Times UK Edition)

Technorati Tags: Gay Marriage,New Zealand,Maurice Williamson

Homecoming

I saw this video today and it made me cry a bit. Photographer Ian Felix Alquiros posted this on his Facebook page and it reminded me of the video made by Get Up!

I just wish that gay marriage would be allowed in the Philippines in my lifetime.

This video by the way, is made for the introduction of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom. Kudos to the Coalition For Equal Marriage.

BuzzNet Tags: Gay Marriage,Homecoming

Get Up! It’s Time

I first saw this video from Boys in Pixels. It was one of the best video I’ve ever seen that promotes equality when it comes to gay marriage. The video tells the story of two guys meeting at a cruise ship and started a relationship that eventually led to a marriage proposal.

The story is from the point of view of one of the guys. He’s taking picture of the whole thing – from their first meeting, to a date, argument, meeting the parents, until the proposal. At the end of the video, the guy taking the recording was revealed. It was a fantastic video. It has everything that a gay guy like me would love in a relationship.

The organization responsible for the video is Get Up! Here’s a brief description of this movement/organization from their official website:

GetUp is an independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation giving everyday Australians opportunities to get involved and hold politicians accountable on important issues.

GetUp members are committed to fairness, sustainability and social justice. Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members take targeted, coordinated and strategic action.
GetUp members make a difference.

GetUp does not back any particular party, but aims to build an accountable and progressive Australia - an Australia with economic fairness, social justice and environmental sustainability at its core.

GetUp is a not-for-profit and receives no money from any political party or the government. We welcome donations as we rely solely on funds and in-kind donations from the Australian public.

I’ve always thought that Australia’s constitution already accepts same-sex marriage. I’ve read Wikipedia and learned that not all the states/provinces of Australia accept same-sex marriage. To quote Wikipedia:

Australia bans recognition of same-sex marriages. The ban is somewhat supported by the Catholic Church and the two largest political parties. The current Gillard federal Labor Party government is reluctant to progress toward same sex marriage asserting that marriage remains the preserve of heterosexual couples only. In February 2010, the Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young's Marriage Equality Bill was rejected by the Senate. Senator Hanson-Young re-introduced the bill to the Senate in September 2010. The bill will sit on a notice paper until the major parties agree to a conscience vote on it. A Greens motion urging federal MPs to gauge community support for gay marriage was passed by the House of Representatives on 18 November 2010.

The Australian Capital Territory is the first jurisdiction in Australia to legalise civil partnerships ceremonies for gay couples. However, they are not recognised in Australian jurisdictions outside of that territory. Registered partnerships are available in New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. From 1 July 2009 Centrelink recognised same-sex couples equally regarding social security – under the common-law marriage, de facto status or unregistered cohabitation. There is a bill before the Tasmanian Legislative Council to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

I’m not surprised that it’s the Catholic Church who opposes gay marriage. It would do everything to retain its tradition and customs. I’m just surprised that Australia has a large Catholic population that it influences the government’s decision. I’ve always thought that Australia is similar to the US when it comes to religious freedom.

Anyway, going back to the topic of gay marriage, I could imagine how long it would take before same-sex marriage would be recognized here in the Philippines. It probably won’t happen in my lifetime. If Australia is still debating on the subject, in spite of the fact that Australians in general accepts same-sex marriage (in different polls conducted), how much more here in the Philippines?

BuzzNet Tags: Same-Sex Marriage,YouTube,Gay Marriage