Bush's position on gay marriage: An international perspective.

[Cannikin]

I was reading the BBC's reaction to Bush's comments on marriage. At the bottom of the article they post replies from their readers. Here are a few:

Considering that marriage was instituted in the Christian bible why would any homosexual want anything to do with marriage? I think in this instance George Bush has got it right. Righteousness alone exalts a nation.
Murdo Macleod, Aberdeen, Scotland

I think Bush's support for outlawing gay marriage is totally unsurprising. He has consistently failed to demonstrate any tolerance for views that are different from his own. He fails to understand the people of other countries and religions, so it's not surprising to see him fail to grasp that people with a different sexual preference to himself want, and deserve the right to have their relationships formally recognised.
Neale Upstone, Cambridge, UK

Bush has no respect for the people of his country or for the rest of the world, for that matter. Gays should be free to express their feelings for their partners and not be discriminated. Outlawing gay marriage shows how narrow minded Bush can be.
Liz, Edinburgh

Marriage is largely government defined and what gays want are the same rights that a married couple has, I cannot understand why the government would want to deny these important benefits to people who have committed themselves to each other. Gays do not threaten marriage but promote it from what I can see.
Brigitte Watson, Kingston, Jamaica

Bush's comments regarding teenage abstinence and the outlawing of gay marriage show how abhorrently out of touch with reality the White House thief really is.
Joel Morgan, London

It's an absolute mockery of his perpetual "I love freedom" comments. Surely it should be I love freedom if you think like me, love like me and want to be me. Will he outlaw co-habitation as this breaks the sanctity of marriage?
Matt Nicholls, London

As the USA is a country where the state is forbidden from promoting religion, how can it be that the President can decree what marriage is or is not? Why should gay couples be denied what is so freely offered to straight couples? It is unjust, unfair and unequal.
Jack Hamilton, Belfast, UK

I believe in the constitution there is meant to be a clear separation of Church and State, something that Bush and his false presidency have flaunted time and again. Shame on America for letting him get away with it! Bush's bigotry will keep so many from achieving equality that is such a basic human right. I challenge him to live as a gay man for a day to actually see the many rights that are denied him.
Anne Downs, London, UK

It is not natural, is it? Marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman. Why can't people wake up and realize that fashion may change, technology may have also improve our standard of living but certain things are meant to remain the same no matter what. Marriage is God ordained between a man and a woman.
Olayinka James, London

I am not gay, and would never considering being gay but outlawing gay marriage is a heinous travesty. It is a gay couple decision if they want to get married not the decision of Mr Bush. What's Bush's policy of imposing 'freedom' on others coming to if he outlaws freedom in his own country
Michael Joslin, New Malden, United Kingdom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3416025.stm

Is it just me or does the UK sound a bit more enlightened...and against Bush?

[sweetheart]

1. interesting by location

that the only really stupid person responding was a scot from aberdeen. The rest of the respondents are from cosmopolititan places where many views are seen and tolerated... whereas that aberdonian clearly lives in the backwater, sorta the scottish equivalent of bumfuck louisiana.

Homophobia and misogyny know no borders, nor does stupidity. It is good to see that the homophobic-SARS that has infected the american executive and congress is contained only to areas of stupid ignorants.

[Cannikin]

2. Also, I think I just read about a high suicide rate among gays there.

[sweetheart]

3. complexity

Scotland is in the 50-60 degree north range (it is very dark in the winter, like megadark in the far north, and this contributes to a high suicide rate in all northern populations for reasons of Seasonal Light disorders. (SAD).

This is combined with scotland being less economically successful than england, with a suicide rate of 23 per 100,000 vs. 12 in england. (it might be 10,000... but the comparative 23 to 12 are current from a recent newspaper article)

Rural scotland is very parochial and ignorant, with many people being homophobic, racist and stupid, as well as other folks being very liberal and sweet... just depending on the individual and the villiage where they live. There is a lesbian pub west of where i live here, and they get good business from local gays, but they take a beating (behind their backs as i've heard).

Any time you get sedentary populations where no migration has occurred for 100's of years, ya get bad fungus... root rot... and old trees die. My advise for a lesbian or gay person wishing to live and have a healthy life in scotland is to "visit" the highlands, but live in the lowlands (edinburgh/glasgow) The larger populations there are diverse enough that tolerance is greater.

I think the highlands are as tolerant of gays and racial diversity as parts of rural texas... ya never know... but its too simple to simply say its being gay... there are too many other factors.

[Cannikin]

4. Thank you for that!

I'm very curious about attitudes in other countries...in case I have to escape this one!