oppn parties Same-Sex Couples Should Be Allowed The Right To Marry

News Snippets

  • For the first time ever, Mukesh Ambani buys a 29% stake in Gautam Adani's Mahan Energen, a subsidiary of Adani Power to source 500MW of electricity from the company's power plant in MP
  • Stocks continue to rise on Thursday - Sensex gains 639 points to 73635 and Nifty 203 points to 22326
  • Golf - Indian Open: 3 Indians at tied 14th as Joost Luiten takes the lead with a wonderful 7-under 65
  • IPL: RR beat DC by 12 runs as Riyan Parag (84 off just 45 balls) shines
  • SP drops two candidates owing allegiance to Azam Khan from Rampur and Moradabad
  • In Assam, a controversy erupted after a picture of UPPL leader Benjamin Basumatary, lying on a stack of Rs 500 notes circulated on social media. UPPL is an ally of the BJP
  • AAP's Jalandhar-West MP Sushil Kumar Rinku joins the BJP. He was the only AAP Lok Sabha MP
  • Supreme Court dismisses Centre's plea to review its 2023 verdict in the PMLA case
  • Close save for passengers as they remain unhurt after the wings of two planes graze at Kolkata airport. Pilots derostered and inquiry ordered by DGCA
  • Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh gets notice from the EC as well as the BJP for making ugly remarks about Mamata Banerjee's parentage
  • Sadanand Vasanth Date, who faught terrorists in the 26/11 attack and was awarded the Preisent's Police medal, has been appointed the head of the NIA
  • Centre will borrow Rs 7.5L cr in the first six months of FY25, nearly 50% of the target for the full year
  • 25 stocks, including SBI, will see same day trade settlements from today in the world's fastest settlement mode in both BSE and NSE
  • Stocks recover smartly on Wednesday: Sensex rises 526 points to 72996 and Nifty 118 points to 22123
  • Tennis: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden reached the semifinals of the Miami Open
Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena says government cannot be run from jail, hints at President's Rule in the capital ////// In a dangerous incident, the wings of two planes grazed while taxiing on the runway at Kolkata airport, all passengers were safe but DGCA ordered an inquiry and the pilots were derostered
oppn parties
Same-Sex Couples Should Be Allowed The Right To Marry

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2023-03-13 09:45:11

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

A gay person is not sick. He or she just has a different sexual orientation. Hence, contrary to the belief in society, they cannot be 'treated' - neither medically or psychologically nor by religious tantras and mantras. This was one of the compelling reasons that led to the decriminalization of same-sex relationships by the Supreme Court. If same-sex relationships are legal, then why object to same-sex marriages?

The Centre has submitted before the Supreme Court that legalizing same-sex marriages will 'cause havoc'. It has given the usual reasons that it will go against personal laws and societal values. It also said that there is "compelling state interest" in recognizing marriages only between heterosexual couples.

Other than being the overwhelming majority and being able to have biological children,how do marriages between heterosexual couples differ from those between same-sex couples? Yes personal laws are designed for heterosexual marriages, but laws need to change with the times. Once it is decided that same-sex marriages will be legal (which they should be), then laws can be suitably altered to account for that.

As for societal values, will the society be comfortable with same-sex couples just living together without legal sanction and the chaos it might create? Or will it be more comfortable in having them marry with defined laws? In any case, society has to be flexible and responsive to changes. Further, if same-sex marriages are not allowed, it is obvious that families will force gays to marry heterosexuals and live in a marriage that will never work and more importantly, will not achieve the society-defined end of having biological children and complete the so-called 'Indian family unit concept'. Who will take responsibility of ruining such lives?

Instead of creating hurdles, the government must look at how the laws - the definition of a spouse, of inheritance and adoption, among others - need to be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. Since their relationship is now legal, same-sex couples need to be allowed to exchange vows legally and live in peace thereafter with laws altered to their specific needs and with full support from society and the government.