Al94

I disagree. An opinion is something that someone has. if you are intolerant towards a person, you are being intolerant to someone that is.

you can be intolerant of someone's opinion while still respecting who that person is.

I have no problems with adult same sex relationships and think most such folk are born with that propensity. However the word "Marriage" in the UK has always had the meaning of a union of a man and a woman (in religious circles - for the procreation of children). This campaign to alter the meaning of the word does upset many religious folk, be they Muslim or Christian. Civil partnerships confer the same rights, and were I in this situation I would be perfectly happy with that word, as I would if I had married outside the church to an opposite sex partner. I think a good way to resolve this issue would be to have a referendum on the issue.-Ie should the meaning of marriage (as opposed to Civil Partnership) be altered to include same sex partnerships, on not?

I don't feel a need for any kind of referendum on matters like these as these get hijacked by other agendas. We now have elected police commissioners (something I feel is not going to do anything more than politicalise something that should be apolitical and so I abstained from voting like about 80% of England and Wales) I don't want to see people divide political lines on every little thing. I don't think that having a vote on it will do anything to make people more tolerant. I suspect that the opposite will be the case.

It would get hijacked by a party with another agenda - I remember the BNP having an agenda on this before. Someone's sexual orientation is individual to them. I don't want to see reference to it in a political manifesto. Proper education should be apolitical and I think it is everyone's interest that our children are properly educated in all matters, including their personal safety, personal responsibility and respect to all other people. And yes, educated properly about their sexual behaviour and what impact that has on them and the people they interact with.

http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/religion/2013/01/what-makes-gay-vicar-stay-church-england

Those who should learn from it will not, but you can only try.

bumpkin, nah, let's not have a 'hands up', don't think that is appropriate information to ask for or post on a public forum. It is non of anyone elses' business, in the same way as: age, gender, married, single, widowed, divorced, religion, ethnic origin, which party you vote for in elections, etc etc.