On Oct 1st the Northern Ireland Assembly will debate a motion submitted by the Green Party on the issue of Equal Marriage, which calls for state recognition of same sex unions and legal protection for any religious organisations, which do not wish to affirm such unions. Ahead of this debate I’d like to take this opportunity to explain the party’s stance on this issue.
The Green Party does not believe that this is a debate or should be a debate be framed around the morality of same sex unions. We all know that people within this society disagree on this question and recognise that this debate will continue.
However, the very disagreement on a moral issue between the competing groups is the reason why the state must treat people equally. It is our view that given the range of interpretations and disagreements around belief in the multi-faith and non-faith society, no one moral view should have the right to a superior and irrefutable elevated position. The state is there to arbitrate between the claims of all its constituents and to manage competing moral viewpoints in as equal and as fair a way as possible.
As has been recognised by Brittney Baker:
Those who oppose same-sex marriage claim that it is indeed an issue of morality, which falls under the category of public welfare, and therefore is within the realm of the state to interfere. In this case, the religious opposition tends to use their view of morality, which states more or less that homosexuality is a sin or against nature as God created it. Needless to say, this does not equate to a secular morality that all citizens can adhere to. Babst refers to the Wolfenden Report, which asserts that "unless a deliberate attempt is made by society, acting through the agency of the law, to equate the sphere of crime with that of sin, there must remain a realm of private morality and immorality which is, in brief and crude terms, not the law's business" (Babst 2002, 43). This suggests that the attempt of religious believers to impose their morality on all citizens is unjust and unconstitutional. Crime is a matter for the law, sin a matter for religion, and the two cannot coincide within the sphere of politics and legislation.
Opinions on the morality of same sex marriage are therefore not an issue for political parties and the Green Party has not asked that our elected officials endorse or oppose the morality same sex unions. It is important to understand that what the party is campaigning for is a change to the law so that the state is neutral on the issue to give individuals the right to make the choice for themselves.
This motion is also about more than simply tolerance - we're calling for a shift in attutudes so that people are respected and that the state supports the cultivation of respect. This is not to say that someone with a religious point of view must now change their moral opinions but rather that persons with a different sexual orientation are afforded respect in virtue of their humanity and respect for their choices of how to live their life the way they see fit in accordance with the law.
In addition, this debate should not be framed one of the LGBT community versus the religious community. There is no consensus within the religious community with regards to the morality of same sex marriage. A range religious groups support same sex marriage such as Quakers, liberal Jews and some Anglicans and within Northern Ireland there are Christian groups such as Changing Attitudes Ireland actively campaigning in favour of changes to the law on this issue.
It must therefore be recognised that within our society there are presently individuals with faith living in this society from these religious groups who are denied the right to marry in accordance with their interpretation of religion. As such, this debate is not only about the issue of equality but also one of religious freedom.
Since 2001 eleven countries and some states in North America have legalised marriage for couples of the same sex and it is notable that in the peaceful and forward thinking nation of Iceland, the marriage equality legislation was so uncontroversial that not even a single MP voted against it.
These proposals are neither unreasonable nor radical and it is clear that contrary to the anxiety expressed by some marriage equality will not harm anyone nor lead to any damage to the social fabric of society. The party would encourage everyone to support this motion on the basis of freedom, equality and the principle of the state as protector and guarantor of the rights for all, and, on the basis that this motion does not require any individual to change their own personal view of the morality or value of same sex marriage.
Ross Brown, Chair of the East Belfast Green Party
No comments:
Post a Comment