Eurovision and Gay Marriage Bills.

I know, I know. The gaps between my blogs are getting increasingly bigger and I am getting increasingly frustrated by this. But, my friends, I have a valid reason for my recent lack of enthusiasm for blogging, which lies in one of the banes of student life called exams. Admittedly, I only had one exam this entire academic year and thus, spent most of my time learning European History, (which if you, like me, went to a state school, you spent at least seven years learning about), and twiddling my thumbs. Nonetheless, I still think that my rather expensive and more than likely pointless degree is a good enough excuse to have neglected my blog somewhat.

However, I am now free of my degree for at least a whole month as I top up my nonexistent tan in sunny Colorado. Then, I have to return to a ten thousand word dissertation on a topic I'm not even sure of yet. But never mind - we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Anyways, there's been one thing on my mind recently, (you know, apart from German Nazi's and Italian fascism), and that is the ongoing (hopefully successful) gay marriage bill. I know I've previously written something on this but GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT THAT WAS ABOUT SCOTLAND.

So, as I said in that previous blog, (which you can find here - http://gemmaparry.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/i-now-pronounce-you-man-and-man.html) I was and still am hopeful that the rest of the UK would suck it up and follow suit to allow same sex couples to legally marry each other. And finally, it looks like it's headed that way, which makes me happier than a slinky on an escalator. Not that I have a woman lined up to marry just yet, but it's nice to know that I have that option to fall back on now, should I want to.

Courtesy of The Telegraph  

Obviously, the bill has some way to go just yet, so I'm not breaking out my rainbow flags and celebrating with my fellow LGBT+ friends as of yet. But the outcome of the vote in the House of Lords last Tuesday (June 4th), showed 390 to 148 against a motion which would have struck down the bill. Despite the Archbishop of Canterbury stating that the redefinition of marriage would 'undermine the cornerstone of society', I think those figures speak for themselves.

So there, Archbishop.

What really made me happy was when I came across an article from The Telegraph, (again, dad, please forgive me -  I came across the website by mistake), that stated that the Church of England is giving up in its' fight against the bill. Apparently, the Church stated that the scale of the majorities in both the House of Commons and Lords made it clear that it is the will of parliament that same sex couples should legally be allowed to marry. The Bishop of Leicester, the what I'm going to refer to as Head Bishop in the House of Lords, said that they would 'now concentrate their efforts on improving rather than halting an historic redefinition of marriage.'

As we can see and much to my delight, things are changing. Fast. That much was proven in the (somewhat) recent Eurovision song contest which, if you didn't watch it, (WHERE WERE YOU AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?!) was a little bit different this year. For once, it actually got political - and not just in the usual sense that neighbouring countries vote for one another in a facade of provincial support. I mean importantly political.

Krista Siegfrids
Courtesy of The Sun

Whilst obviously the voting of neighbours did happen, (let's briefly ignore the fact that Ireland gave us ten points and, and they didn't even make the top three of the UK vote), the whole contest got shaken up a bit this year. The Finland entry in the shape of a blonde babe, Krista Siegfrids, sang some infuriatingly catchy song called Marry Me. While the clearly desperate not to live alone as a cat lady forevermore Siegfrids has already said that the song is about her desire for her boyfriend to propose, (seriously mate, take what you've got and run), in performing, she challenges the viewer's expectations by kissing one of her equally attractive female dancers.

Of course, it could be intended to shock some of the more conservative around us, an attention-seeking device for what would otherwise be a rather typical pop song or it could even be perceived as  a way of appealing to men. It's no secret that it definitely appealed to me. Just a tad.

Personally, I think it's about much more, which is why I have brought British government bills and singing contests together in one blog. It's common knowledge that Finland is currently the only Nordic country without marriage equality. And, as we well know, the Nordic countries are pretty far ahead of other European countries when it comes to LGBT+ rights. They have to be ahead in something I suppose.

Mine and Siegfrids point is that everyone should be allowed to kiss and thus, to marry, whomever they wish to. It's so wonderful that Siegfrids is a straight woman, fearing being forever alone with a dozen cats, and yet, she isn't afraid to speak up on behalf of those in same sex relationships who, likewise, would like to get married. After all, what better time is there to demand equal rights when you have most of the eyes of Europe watching you in one of the poorest excuses for a mock wedding dress I have ever seen? Absolutely no time at all.

The whole contest though? It was as hilarious and wonderful as ever and Graham Norton was on top form.  Frankly, I've never really been a massive Bonnie Tyler fan, despite the fact that she now lives just down the road from me, but her genuine/acting (but really genuine) drunkenness was very entertaining. Shame about the song mind. The Danish babe who won was mind numbingly gorgeous, with fabulous hair, leaving me craving her hairdressers mobile number and, as per usual, everyone voted for their next door neighbours, (all except for Armenia and Azerbaijan, of course). The music was mostly awful, but we at home carried a massive torch for Greece and free alcohol, and I carried my own for Finland and, of course, gay marriage. 

I now pronounce you man and man

If you've watched the news at all in the last few months, (which most of you would have, as poor, unemployed students with nothing better to do), you'll have noticed that there's a big palaver surrounding Scotland at the moment. While I personally feel that they are pilling their issues onto the British government because they're starting to feel a little lonely up there in the north , they have raised one issue which I feel has been avoided more successfully than council tax.

Over recent months, you'll notice that people here, there and everywhere are coming out of the metaphorical closet as being in favour of gay marriage. From Mr David Cameron to Lady Gaga, support for gay marriage is increasingly becoming the progressive modern day cause. While opinion on the subject still remains divided, the Scots have decided to put their feet down and launch a government consultation on gay marriage, which has ultimately, split the coalition. David Cameron tightened his trousers in his happy relationship with Nick Clegg and allowed a free vote on the issue, much to the dismay of the Scottish Church.  

So after a lot of voting and whatnot, Scotland is set to become the first part of the United Kingdom to legalize the same sex marriage through a bill that is soon to be introduced to parliament. YAY! This means that; 

One: Scotland will be breaking out the rainbow flags by 2015 

And two: I now like Scotland a lot more.

A majority of Members of the Scottish parliament have already openly stated that they'll back the bill, so it'll most definitely pass. I'm pretty pleased and happy that the Scottish government have had the ingenious insight to do this. I live in Wales, so I guess my wait goes on. Not that I have a woman lined up to marry just yet.

Anyhow, the reality of this is that humanist celebrants and religious officiates who want to officiate same sex weddings could be marrying gay and lesbian couples by 2015. Although the Scottish Government is thoughtfully intending to include an 'opt out' clause for religions who aren't too fussed on perform these types of marriages, on the part of most people, there is now a very Paul McCartney  'live and let live' attitude in the air.

Interestingly, although unsurprisingly, the legislation has been met with opposition from not only the Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland, but even two - thirds of the Scottish population. On that issue, I have to shower the Scottish with my respect for standing up what they believe in, contrary to whether it's popular or not. American legislators, take note.

The Free Church of Scotland, released a statement on the subject which, when I read, made me a little bit sad. They said that, and I quote, "This is a truly sad day for Scotland, and we urge the Scottish government to reconsider their plans." No offence, but, if you think gay marriage is going to end the world then, err, consult the chart below. At the end of the day, gay marriage will effect homosexuals relationships - not yours.

Now, I have Christian friends. Or rather, I have friends who identify as Christians because being anything else means going without Christmas presents. In light of this, I've decided to respond to an aspect of gay marriage that my friends have brought up on a few occasions.

Let's put it into uncomplicated terms. Why would I, Gemma, an individual who identifies as a Christian, be openly in favour of same sex marriage in the knowledge that  these types of relationships 'displease' God? Why would I identify as both a Christian and a bisexual? Why am I being what The Westboro Baptist Church in America call a 'fag enabler?' BECAUSE I WANT TO.

Personally, I find the whole thing fascinating. There are hundreds upon hundreds of sins listed in the Bible and yet, we have decided to single out homosexuality as the sin that God is most displeased by. As Jesus said in the Bible about homosexuality - "          " . Exactly. NOTHING. We go to the effort and extent to fight against homosexual relationships, to the ridiculous point that we base presidential campaign issues on the subject and feel obliged to legislate same sex marriage. Frankly, I think the fact that the Christian community has alienated us Christians from the LGBT+ community was a big mistake. We could easily have embraced this community and yet, we chose to condemn them at every turn.  

I recently wrote a blog about male feminism which, while possibly causing some controversy, pointed out the fundamental issues of equality. Some argue that the current ban on gay marriage is a question of equality, similar to women having the right to vote or rights for ethnic minorities.  Some have expressed the view that gay marriage would devalue the sanctity of marriage in itself, which, frankly, is just rubbish in my opinion. How on earth could the marriage of two people who love and care for each other deeply be wrong, despite their gender?  I'll admit that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to Civil Partnerships, which are basically a watered down version of marriage, but I don't believe that they consider the beliefs of the couple.

Additionally, married couples are protected by the law - financially, medically etc. Say two people are in a same sex relationship and one was involved in an accident. Their other half would not technically be able to be with them throughout the emergency. Furthermore, most companies don't provide the same policy for same sex couples regarding insurance. Because a Civil Union is 'not marriage', it is therefore not a 'lawful union.' That's the kind of crap that makes me wonder why on earth I happily remain a resident in the UK and keep my mouth shut on this issue.

The fact is that even if the good old Scots hadn't made an example of the rest of the UK by embracing same sex marriage, homosexuality still exists. Whether you are hiding in a cave, surrounded by sketches of pre - historic homosexual relationships, or fifty billion feet in the air, with a gay couple sitting in front, happily jetting off to Barbados for their honeymoon, you can't escape it. So, you might as well deal with it and accept other people's happiness. Just because gay people are so jolly all of the time, doesn't mean that you can rain on their rainbow parade. They just want to be as miserable as you heterosexuals too.