Laustere, thank you for commenting on my clip. One thing you must remember is that marriage itself is NOT a religious institution; it is a civil institution. Any religious marriage that is performed must be accompanied by a civil marriage license. So, granting the right to civil marriage to same-sex couples has absolutely nothing to do with religious marriage ceremonies. In Canada, our same-sex marriage law permits any religious church or order that does not approve of same-sex marriage to refuse to perform such a ceremony, hence the law does not interfere at all with religious belief. This same arrangement has been offered in the U.S. and yet the religious community still claims it is ...

Laustere, thank you for commenting on my clip. One thing you must remember is that marriage itself is NOT a religious institution; it is a civil institution. Any religious marriage that is performed must be accompanied by a civil marriage license. So, granting the right to civil marriage to same-sex couples has absolutely nothing to do with religious marriage ceremonies. In Canada, our same-sex marriage law permits any religious church or order that does not approve of same-sex marriage to refuse to perform such a ceremony, hence the law does not interfere at all with religious belief. This same arrangement has been offered in the U.S. and yet the religious community still claims it is an infringement on their beliefs and rights. This kind of thinking I do not understand.

One more issue I must raise; Civil Unions to not offer all of the benefits of marriage. They only exist on a state level. Civil Unions do nothing as far as protecting gay couples as it concerns federal benefits such as tax advantages etc, and yet, we all pay the same taxes to the same government. But somehow or other, based on purely discriminatory beliefs, the government is willing to take our money, but offer us none of the benefits. Please, someone explain to me why this is the right way to behave towards people in a Democracy.