Anti-equal marriage petition put on hold by Scottish government

January 27, 2012

Wedding Rings

A petition submitted to the Scottish government denouncing gay marriage has been derided by rights groups as “outdated, inaccurate and homophobic” and put on hold by parliament.

The petitioner, Amy King, put forward her ‘Preserving Marriage’ petition to the Scottish Parliament, which claims that gay people shouldn’t have access to marriage because of “poor social outcomes for homosexual adults” including “higher rates of domestic violence, suicide, STDs, and mental illness.”

King writes: “Marriage should not be redefined for the whole of society given the tiny percentage of society actually affected by the issue.”

She further claims that gay marriage would lead to “sexual chaos” and polygamy.

King’s main reference is a book called Stand for the Family by Sharon Slater, who argues that marriage should be reserved for straight couples to raise children because gay couples aren’t capable of doing so.
The petition will be put on hold until the government releases the findings of its gay marriage consultation.

The petition has been denounced by rights groups. Tom French, Policy Coordinator for the Equality Network said; “The derogatory views expressed in this petition are outdated, inaccurate and homophobic. If similar claims were made on the basis of race they would rightly be condemned as racist, and I have no doubt that most people will find such claims against LGBT people equally appalling.

“We welcome Scottish Government proposals to lift the ban on same-sex marriage. For us this is a simple issue of love and equality. We believe that loving same-sex couples are entitled to equal treatment under the law and in society.”

The consultation on gay marriage closed on 9 December and the Scottish government is expected to publish its findings in May.
 

Image by Jeff Belmonte