Lifting the Ban on Same-Sex Marriage is not a Harm

The decision on Monday by the Northern Ireland Assembly to maintain a ban on same-sex marriages strikes me as an odd position for an Assembly built on democratic values to take. It is odd because the arguments which informed the votes of those against the motion entirely undermine the very project of democracy. I want to quickly reiterate the mechanics of such arguments. Religious voices in this debate take as their core concern, a worry about the spiritual well-being of the people of Northern Ireland. I appreciate the sincerity of such voices, and I do not wish to dispute the validity of this view, but I would like to point out its consequences, with an aim of showing how their views on ‘harm’ are sorely misplaced and carry very certain ramifications. 

Homosexuality is only viewed as a ‘harm’ within the scope of a particular religious framework. Yet, in the process of claiming that homosexuality is ‘harmful’, these voices cause harms that everyone - in or outside the Judeo-Christian tradition - agree are harmful. Articulating same-sex marriage as a catalyst to the steady erosion ‘of centuries of societal norms’ (Presbyterian Letter to MLAs) contributes to the fear that underpins the hatred and denigration of LGBT persons, for it suggests that they are a threat. Moreover, it suggests that same-sex relationships are ‘wrong’, thus  eroding the ‘value of respect’ by  suggesting that someone’s capacity to make to sexual choices is mistaken or inferior. It suggests that we should do what we can to eradicate the possibility of engaging in same-sex relations. Although the idea of ‘civil partnership’ has received the ‘green-light’ from those arguing against the motion, it is not enough. Not only is a civil partnership not equal in content to the state-sponsored institution of marriage, but the very idea that these institutions can be ‘separate yet equal’ marks a subliminal effort to demote same-sex relationships by keeping homosexuality at arms-length.

There is little doubt that these views contribute to the everyday violence and marginalization LGBT persons face. At present, to be ‘out’ in Northern Ireland is to put oneself at risk of stigmatization or assault. I think all of us, those for and against this motion, can agree this is no way to live. I would like to suggest that we work with a broader conceptualization of harm, one grounded in respect and concern for physical and psychological well-being. The state cannot continue to uphold the religious view of harm, for in doing so it supports the very structures by which some of its own citizens are disrespected. We must rely on other systems of value, such as a concern for the respect and well-being. In the words of the philosopher John Rawls, ‘no society can include within itself all ways of life. .. [but] if a comprehensive conception of the good is unable to endure in a society [without] securing the familiar equal basic liberties and mutual toleration, [then] there is no way to preserve it [that is] consistent with democratic values.’

Sara Kallock, East Belfast Green Party