Sir, – Two plus two equals four. Three plus one equals four. Yet there can be no equality legislation, no constitutional amendment, no international convention of human rights, and, indeed, no Canadian certificate that can make two plus three equal four.
Quite remarkably for a member of the “community” that calls itself “gay”, Senator Katherine Zappone asseverates the importance of language (July 14th), but by no sleight of hand in any language can any of those things make her partnership with the female cohabitant she named equal to that union of a woman and a man to which, in our language, we apply the word “marriage” and which, in its essence, has been unchanged and unchangeable since the dawn of human society.
Marriage without distinction of sex is a contradiction in terms – that very distinction is of the very essence. We who are married will not have it said that our sex is irrelevant.
Kathy Sheridan’s article (Weekend Review, July 14th) described the relays of people who are putting their shoulders to the wheels of what they seek to make an unstoppable bandwagon, to carry by acclamation that which they cannot justify by reasoned argument.
The cacophony brooks no dissent, but the small sweet voices of reason and logic bravely pipe: two plus two equals four; two plus three equals five.
To the Pavlovian element of that cacophony let me say: I neither suffer from nor entertain a phobia of any kind or degree of or against any person of either sex. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – There has been much discussion on the issue of marriage for same sex couples and I note the comments of Ruairí Quinn that a constitutional referendum would be required for such a change to be brought in.
If such a referendum is to be held I would strongly urge the Government at the same time to address the issue of the period of time that married couples have to wait before applying for a divorce. Currently a married couple can legally separate when their marriage breaks down but must wait four years after separation before they can apply for a divorce. This contrasts with the position for same sex couples who are civil partners, as they have to wait only two years before seeking a dissolution of their civil partnership.
The current constitutional requirement for married couples to be living apart for four years before being able to apply for a divorce has led to an unsatisfactory situation whereby such couples have to go through what is often a stressful legal separation only to have to go through it again four years later in order to obtain a divorce. The breakdown of a marriage is a very stressful, life-changing event and the current four-year wait before being able to seek a divorce only serves to make it more stressful for the couple and can have negative impact on the couple’s parenting of any children of the marriage.
It is time for this to be addressed in a referendum so that separating spouses can finalise matters in one step rather than two. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The letter (July 14th) regarding a referendum on marriage reminds one of the Irishman’s proposal, ie “Would you like to be buried with my people”? – Yours, etc,