Hi The Enigma. I appreciated your post and the time it took to prepare for publishing. The discussion you are having there in Australia is similar to the one we have had here in the US and elsewhere.

My personal point of view is that individuals should be free to love and associate with whomever they choose. This is the basis of freedom. Marriage is, among other things, a legal contract. I believe people should be allowed to enter into contracts with whomever they choose to.

Where I can sympathize with many who oppose same-sex marriage is in their belief that these alternative unions somehow detract from tradition and seem to threaten the institution itself. This may be because we find same-sex relationships as unnatural or worse, or because we feel it legitimizes behavior we disagree with on religious or other grounds.

Change, particularly changes in tradition, is often fraught with emotional and philosophical stress. Our reactions are based upon our own personal view as to "how things should be." When changes seem threaten our view, we become defensive and resistant. Often that becomes the basis for hostility and conflict between those who are seeking change and those against it.

What I have found in my life is that when my "normal" is usurped, I enter a period of stress and sometimes anger or sorrow. But over time, a new "normal" emerges and I become accustomed and integrated with it. Knowing this has allowed me to become more supportive of change as my capacity and confidence in dealing with it increases.

We don't have to like or support the choices that other people make for themselves. But speaking in principle, I would not want others to have the right to make the most personal of choices for me, or to limit my choices based solely on their belief systems, biases, and experiences. It is because I so want to preserve my own freedom of choice, that I stand to protect that of others, even when I do not support or share their beliefs.

Thank you again for your post, and I wish you good luck here on Steem, and that you enjoy your journey!