There is no place for fear or prejudice over same-sex marriages

THE virulent opposition to same-sex marriage, when one strips away all of the extraneous religious ideology, is, at its core, a battle to protect the last bastion of legitimised discrimination.

In the UK, David Cameron’s support for same-sex marriage has riven his conservative base but he has countered criticism by saying he supports the measure precisely because he is a conservative and believes society benefits when couples, no matter what their sexual orientation, make a serious commitment to each other.

Intent on progressing with plans to legalise same-sex marriage, the Home Office recently published a consultation paper that stated the only remaining question was how the new law would be enacted and not whether it would happen.