Just a few minutes ago MP's in our Parliament have voted for the first reading of the Marriage Amendment Act to pass by a majority vote of 78 to 40 with 3 no votes. This means that eventually New Zealand will be the 10th country in the world to legalise same sex marriage. Its a great day when my home country has overruled opposition from Family First (An anti gay Church based Morality organisation) and several Dogmatic churches and born again hate sects, to follow the will of LGBT people in New Zealand.

The act will go to a second reading, and a third and then a Select Committee review before becoming enshrined in law.

The vote was actually a Personal preference one over the usual party vote and most of the no voters came from the conservative New Zealand First and National Parties. Most of National voted for it along the ultra left Greens and all but 3 Labour Mp's, all of which are conservative Christians or involved with Pacific Island based churches which are generally Homophobic only accepting the Samoan Faafaafine (Transgendered men) lifestyle.

The issue has caused much debate and was the brainchild of the MP for Manurewa (An electorate in the mostly Polynesian and impoverished city of Manukau). The MP Louisa Wall, a Lesbian Maori, has made an excellent argument which moves the focus of same sex marriage from a moral issue to one of it being a fundamental human right. Opposers of it have quoted scripture, gay promiscuity, rates of STDs and apparent child abuse by gays, all of which have been unproved so far into a cohesive argument.

My question being, do you live in an area that allows same sex marriage or civil unions, or even an area where being gay is banned and your views on the issue? Discuss if you like, but keep it civil.

I myself are very pro same sex marriage, its a fundamental right, okay we have civil unions, but it still makes us unequal, say my partners dying in hospital, the staff might not let me have access to him, but his ex wife or kids can.

Gay promiscuity hasn't been proven?

Seriously?

Promiscuity and STDs are not reasons to deny human rights though.

Opposers are trying to equate marriage to sex, and that's unfortunate.

Happy for the New Zealand people!

Got married in 2001, so it's already a long time since it's been legal here.

But what kind of arguments are that??? "gay promiscuity, rates of STDs and apparent child abuse by gays". Do they want to rid of straight marriages too because child abuse and STD's by straights?

And wouldn't marriage be a thing against promiscuity?

I don't get it.