GAY TRUTH

AUCKLAND , New Zealand ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - New Zealand has become the 13 th  country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage .  The Marriage ( Definition of Marriage ) Amendment Bill was passed in Parliament Wednesday night 77 votes to 44. Reaction from the supporters of the legislation has been jubilant.  Louisa Wall , who submitted the Private Member’s Bill ,  said , “This third reading is our road towards healing and including all citizens in our state institution of marriage regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.” However, while supporters of the legislation are celebrating, many New Zealanders are concerned at how fast it has moved through the parliamentary process, and the effects it will have on the country.   “In passing the ‘shot-gun’ same-sex marriage bill, Parliament has chosen to reject the obvious cultural and natural character of marriage and the subsequent creation and care of children, and made marriage just about partnership,”

Public opposition to same-sex marriage has grown significantly since a law change to legalise it came before Parliament , a Herald DigiPoll survey shows. Same-sex marriage campaigners blame scaremongering by religious groups for the increase in opposition, saying lobbying has intensified as the bill progresses through Parliament.  Opponents of gay marriage say the jump shows people are waking up to the negative social effects of changing the Marriage Act. Asked what best fitted their view on marriage law, 48 per cent of those polled said marriage should remain between a man and a woman – an increase of 7.5 percentage points from a poll last June. The number of people who supported a law change to allow same-sex couples to marry fell 4 percentage points in that time, but still outnumbered the opponents by a small margin. The Marriage Amendment Bill is expected to return to Parliament tomorrow for the committee stages after easily passing its second reading by 77 votes to 4

Second reading support is firm but submissions reveal wider range of opinion and doubts at speed of change. After months of emotional submissions and some bitter protest, a bill to legalise same-sex marriage appears likely to pass another hurdle with barely a dent in its political support.  A dozen MPs indicated their vote in favour was limited to the first stage of the bill and they would reconsider after hearing the debates at select committee. With the second reading of the bill likely to be debated this evening, a straw poll of those MPs found only who said he would no longer vote for it. National MP for Rangitikei Ian McKelvie, who backed the bill at the first reading, said he had not been convinced there was any reason to change the historical definition of marriage. Several more MPs said they were consulting their electorates until the last minute. The 21,500 submissions on the Marriage ( Definition of Marriage ) Amendment Bill - 2900 of which were unique - present