Where is Gay Marriage Legal? List of States and Countries

Being gay is a matter of choice. It may be okay for the ones who choose that way, but its a definite no no for me!

To put it a bit elegantly , what gays think about having a partner of opposite sex, the same feeling non gays have about a partner of the same sex.

.Agent.

Californians have domestic partnerships available and the good will of many to enhance those to a status of total equality.

This is not a total ban or even a ban of legalizing gay relationships. This is a barrier to considering them the equivalent of heterosexual relationships  in traditional marriage.

You label this all "oppression", but none of the gay people I have known over the years, including intimate family members, were concerned about this. This is a recent development.

Frankly, I think it is oppressive for a minority to dictate the terms of the law usurping the function of democratic institutions.

It is to be noted as well that the horrendous treatment Prajean got from a totally out of line self-named "Perez Hilton" didn't seem to arouse much, if any, ire here at all.

California's Christian community, as is true everywhere, is not monolithic. Ancient Jews had divorce, yet Catholics still don't, while Protestants do. Catholics do divorce, though, legally, and sometimes, if they have money and pull, such as Ted Kennedy, they can swing an annulment from the Vatican that, in Ted Kennedy's case, made all his kids bastards and invalidated his wife as a wife.

That annulment that Henry VIII wanted was standard practice. He didn't get the annulment because the pope was angry with ol' Henry.

Actually, about divorce, what has happened is that the courts know that so much lying goes on in divorce that the best thing for the children is to minimize the strife by minimizing the lying by taking the legality of fault out of the equation.

Morally, fault remains, however. So, divorce has a religious and a civil aspect. Nothing hypocritical about California's divorce law for a Christian.

In regards to Christians' view of homosexual marriage, where do you get this idea of "clear hypocrisy"?

For most Christians, homosexuality is a sin. For such a person, legalizing a sin in an institution that gets the tax and legal status of their own marriage is apocryphal.

There is nothing hypocritical about people who deny people the right to institutionalize a sin. Only a sentimentalized view of feelings, a "let's be nice" approach to morality, could fault Christians as hypocrites for taking the stand that they have.

Prejean's take on homosexuality does not have any absolute link to her experience of divorce or the charges of homosexuality. She expressed the opinion of a decided majority of people in the US and of the president of the US as well.

And, once again, this choice is Obama's choice as well, and Obama chose the reverend against gay marriage (who accepts civil unions) as his minister to give the oath of office. How come no one takes Obama or Hillary to task for their hypocritical Christian take on marriage?

My own experience with being around the gay rights movement, both from the point of view of friends and family and by living in San Francisco during the period of Harvey Milk, for example, was that some kind of recognition of the relationship in the law served everyone, but that it didn't have to be a total inclusion under the present heterosexual marriage laws.

Of course, in the '70s, the most radical members of the gay community were going around writing books on how promiscuity was legitimate, all this before the AIDS epidemic struck. So, the point of view was different.

What really bothers me is that these stories about gay marriage are reported as if there was no recognition of a gay relationship when such a recognition exists and is accepted by Mormons and others opposed to equating heterosexual marriage with gay civil unions.

PS - Paul is not Jesus and NEVER worked with Christ's ministry while Jesus was alive. Please don't quote him on homosexuality.  I only spoke to Jesus and what he taught :)

Thanks for this, Tina!

In France and Germany Gay marriages are not legal though, Civil unions are however legal. The French and German left the word marriage untouched since it has historical and religious implications. Now, I do not know the specifics all the Countries. 

They called it a Civil union instead, give Homo Sexual couples the same rights, with out the Traditional word used by the Churches for Heterosexual unions.

As far as I know the Word Marriage is only an issue or a demand by the Homosexual community in North America and Australia. Then again I am not familiar with all European countries and their specific legislation.

Even in Germany, Same Sex civil unions are not yet legal in every State. Bavaria, the state with a majority of Catholics refuses so far to adopt this law. Even though it was made a Federal Law, It is still up to the state to enforce it or apply it.

I am surprised that so many countries have allowed this Debauchery.

i dont think thats fair. i think it should be legal in more than that.. im gay and proud... so w.e.  im getting fed up with all of these goody too shoed christians telling me im going to hell and such.

Ha ha thats all I have to say.  Gay marriage is all about fucking money thats it LOL all they want is money.  Couples can love eachother just as much if they are "recognized by the state" or they arent its all about the money

You guys are talking about this gay marriage and all that, but, here in south america, people still believes that we are ill , that we have an illness , that we all have aids , that we all are drag queens, that we have to be femenine, they kill travestis all the time, we here have real problems!! big time!!

I think they need to have gay marriage ever where causes gay people needs rights too