Gay marriage won't make the world stop turning In its wisdom, the state has decided that men can marry women, but men can't marry men, and women can't marry women. The Marriage Act tells us that straights have rights, which gays don't have. This may seem odd, as in 2012 we tend to believe that all humans should be treated as equals under the law. If we defend inequality in marriage though not in the rest of society, we are clearly using two different measures. Imagine the outcry if the Marriage Act was to say: "Only whites can marry, blacks can't." Or something in a similar vein: "Jews can't marry." Or: "One needs to be in full-term employment in order to marry." I am just adding this last example for the benefit of those who still believe that being gay is somehow a choice. It is interesting to see that in the most recent debate on the issue of gay marriage, the bigots are falling out of the closet left, right and centre. They speak in code. Instead of shouting that "allowing gays to marry will demean Marriage," they argue that "any marriage other than one between a male and female would change the meaning of marriage." In other words: We Believe that Your Union is of Lesser Value than Ours - and the Law should Reflect This! Talk of totalitarianism. Another argument is the "most people don't want this" one. Well, there probably was a time when most people believed slavery was quite a useful little custom. A democratic majority does not legitimise trampling over the right of individuals to be treated as equal humans. Democracy can only be accepted by all if the power of the state to trample upon individuals is made impossible. Some say marriage should be the preserve of heterosexual unions, as the aim is to raise children. For starters, many straight married people don't have children - are we saying they therefore oughtn't to be married? Many single people are raising children. And quite a few gays are raising children. This fella seems to have turned all right. Only giving legal advantages to a straight married couple, does not protect the child. It only protects the child if it happens to be raised by a straight married couple. Is being married desirable for society as a whole? Absolutely - for one, married people are less likely to end up on welfare. It applies for both the straight, and for the gay variety. Are children best raised by a married man and woman? Probably so, but that does not mean we should demean or give extra disadvantages to children who aren't. Besides, virtually all gay parents go out of their way to ensure that the child also has role models of the other sex. Every decent individual wants the best for his children. It is interesting to see that in countries which introduce full gay marriage, it immediately ceases to be an issue. None of these countries have reversed the change. In fact, the result is usually so positive that even the small inequalities which were left in place (typically: no equal rights with regards to adoption) are soon removed. When gays marry, society as we know it does not come to an end. The world does not stop turning. Cows do not stop giving milk. The Barbarians are not at the gates. There is no sudden emergence of widespread child abuse. The Church doesn't collapse. The only change is... that gays marry. JP Floru is Director of Programmes at the Adam Smith Institute