Same-sex marriage issue

Legalising same-sex marriage is the final stage of acceptance, according to an openly gay Kwinana man.

Chris Andrews, who has been in a committed relationship with partner Paul White for the past 12 years, said homosexuality was not a disease, illness or phase.

The issue of same-sex marriage was put back in the political spotlight last month when Kevin Rudd, then a backbencher in the Gillard Government, announced his support of marriage equality.

“I think the mood of the Australian nation is ‘how do we actually come together on this’,” he said last month.

Mr Andrews and Mr White, who are fathers to two-year-old twins, Makayla and Declan, believed children of same-sex couples played an important role in the debate.

Mr Andrews said children with same-sex parents had strong role models from a variety of people outside the immediate family, including friends, grandparents and aunties and uncles.

“Hundreds of children don’t have a mother-father relationship, and they are doing just fine,” he said.

“Politicians are afraid to upset the minority and quite frankly the people who support are now the majority.”

Mr White said it was time Federal politicians were afforded the opportunity to have a conscience vote on same-sex marriage.

He said the opinions of the public had changed and believed it was time for Parliament to catch up.

WA Uniting Church moderator Reverend Ron Larkin said Uniting Churches around the country were discussing the topic and there were different views and attitudes within the church.

“We understand that there are congregations who have strong feelings on both sides of the public debate,” he said.

Reverend Larkin said in the words of the Bible, marriage was between a man and a woman, but recognised in the wider community it was acknowledged as a human rights issue.

The Kwinana couple said they would get married if same-sex marriage laws were passed in Australia.