All children deserve to grow up in a balanced family where there is both a male and female role model.
Although I could argue many other valid reasons too, this one is something a same-sex couple just can't offer.
Peter Bounatsos
Redefining marriage has a great impact for Aussie society. If we redefine it for one minority group then justice demands we redefine it for another.
Redefining marriage now in terms of gender sets a precedence for later redefinitions.
In our multicultural country we have other people for whom polygamy is a valid form of family. Do we redefine marriage again or do we avoid it? Avoidance would smack of racism.
I hope our politicians think it through for the long term and lead us forward rather than pander to the few.
Rev Denis Oliver, Lugarno
A civil union is not the same legally as a marriage, it's a second class of marriage. Last I checked we were all created equal and should be equal in the eyes of our secular government. This is not a religious issue, it's a legal one.
Brent Heber