General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Have you ever heard anyone ever give a single 'coherent' reason to be against marriage equality? [View all]malthaussen
(17,194 posts)... and says that marriage, by this definition, has never been denied gays. "Equality" does not enter into his argument.
Basically, it appears to me the poster is trying to demonstrate that "marriage" by definition requires participation by both sexes, because that is how it has been defined historically and across cultures. Accordingly, two individuals of the same sex cannot marry, by definition, and that is a rational argument against gay marriage. The poster then goes on to elaborate that the marriage state is bound up with religion, again historically and across cultures, and that thus it is no simple manner to simply make a civil declaration of gay eligibility to marry -- which is not an argument against such marriage, just a notice that it is difficult.
-- Mal