Britains First Gay Wedding

May 25, 2005Posted By weddings

Accross the ocean from our country that was founded on the principles of Freedom and Democracy, our previous oppressors have opened up their laws and their minds to allow for gay weddings. In our free country, we are considering constitutional changes, that would make it impossible for gay people to wed - thereby bypassing the inevitable reversal and dissolutionment of any "preventative measures" our lawmakers put forth because of the fact that such laws (however popular they are in the polls) are against our founding principals.

The first gay wedding in Britain will take place at one minute past midnight on December 21st of 2005. The first couple will, according to "The Independent" be Elaine Cook and Debbie Gaston.

The couple has been together for nearly two decades. Elaine Cook has children from a previous heterosexual marriage - a son, 24, and a daughter 21. The couple knew eachother for three years before beginning a romantic relationship - partially, they say, from guilt over religious issues.

Both were very "closeted" to begine with, and have discovered that their families have been indifferent or supportive about their sexuality rather than angry or unable to cope.

Britains new policy becomes law on December 5th, but a mandatory 15 day cooling off period is required, so the first wedding ceremony can take place at the earliest on December 21st.

The importance of the issue is not simply in the ceremonial signifigance, but within the legal benefits that are currently not provided to gay couples. Things like inheritance, tax, pension, and medical benefits will be provided to gay couples the same as they are to straight couples. Other things at issue are medical rules - like the ability for a spouse to make decisions regarding life support, to sign off on procedures while one of the partners is unconscious; and legal rules - such as spousal testimony, and the right to marital privacy.

This hot button issue here in the states is a huge waste of government resources in my opinion. Our lawmakers have so many other things to do without trying to figure out how to legally oppress a segment of society. Trying to come up with compromises like Civil Partnerships only means that they not only have to re-write an entire set of laws, but it also means that the rules for gay couples will be different than for straight ones. Police officers, judges, and all manner of government employees would have to learn and understand the differences between the laws.

There are a lot of other things that we should be spending our time and money on.

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