What a day, how good does it feel to not be judged.Why was/is it ever n issue to start with, just imagine what kind of world we would be living in if we all had to had the same tastes, lifestyles and interests. Oh wait, I forgot were supposed to. Acceptance of all as long as we conform, make ourselves miserable and live a lie. Go Iceland, now if only Australia would follow suit and welcome with open arms peoles differences

If heterosexual marriage did not confer legal and monetary advantages, gay and lesbian marriage would be a non-issue. However, because heterosexual marriage does indeed confer such advantages, gays and lesbians are fully justified in demanding the same for themselves. The issue is not the sanctity of marriage; rather, it is equal status under the law. Churches that refuse to sanctify gay and lesbian relationships should be free to do so; the government, however, must not be allowed to decide who is more equal and who is less equal under the law.

Just to add, Kudos to Iceland, but my wish is that this will not have to be such a big issue. Lets just calm down and accept what may not be normal for you may be normal for others and leave it at that. My being homosexual does not hurt your sexuality, but people make sure that it hurts ours.

Ignorance infuriates me. I am so sick of people deciding what is love between two people and what is acceptable and unacceptable. What happen to human rights? It is good for some and not for others based on who they love? This is a sick society filled with greed and judgement in the name of the bible and that is the worst situation of the human condition that we see. I have a business that helps teens at risk, I am appreciated by those who know me and my work. I am honored by the genuine connections I make with the people who know my work. I am almost overwhelmed by the requests for my work in the community. If any of these people knew that I was a lesbian my business would be a failure. I would be crucified and never allowed near their children. They know me the loving, caring person and I get love and respect in return. If I were out, the story would be the opposite based on the label and who I love personally. I have to hide my personal life in order to persue my passionate work. I have to live an unbalanced life while I teach others to find balance in theirs. Is this hurting me? Absolutely. It is the area that I am living with the churches ruling thier lives that makes mine unfullfilled. This angers me and stiffles me and there is nothing I can do about it except leave and that is my plan. The people who hire me do not want me to leave. The women and children I have helped are upset that I am moving away.If they really knew my reasons they would condem me. I do not understand the mentality of human judgement of who is allowed the freedom of love and who must suffer because of who they are. Liberals are learning acceptance but what do we do with the rest of the country, the church people who are standing up and shouting, condemning, judging in the name of the bible? This is what has been in charge of our country and I hope true change will be the new majority.

The word "marriage" seems to be the problem as it tends to bring along religous affiliations with it. Perhaps we should eliminate marriages from our society except by choice and make civil unions legal for any two consenting adults of legal age regardless of sexual orientaion or gender. I really don't see whom one falls in love with and chooses to spend their life with is any one elses business?? Grant all civil unions legal standing and there is equality for all period, end of discussion. Unless people are trying to force their view points onto how other people live. It is a legal issue not a moral one.

As far as I know marriage is about two people who love eachother. I've seen horribly abusive heterosexual marriages which should never have happened and also seen how happy homosexuals were when certain states said they COULD marry. Marriage is and SHOULD be about people who love and are willing to make a commitment to eachother. It should not be about who has more money, getting a social position and no one should be forced into a marriage that they don't want, all of which we KNOW happens just about everywhere. THOSE, in my mind, are situations that are an affront to the institute of marriage.
As for Iceland.....Good for them!

The response to Prop 8 seems a tad overheated. The issue of gay marriage is sold as if it had always existed until some uptight fundamentalist right wing conservatives decided to fight it. The fact is, marriage has, with perhaps some minor exceptions I've never heard of, always been between one man and one woman, other than plural marriage, with its obvious drawbacks (what does one do with the leftovers?).

None of us knows the future of gay marriage; but acting as if a less than enthusiastic response to the recent attempt at redefinition of humankind's most fundamental relationship is yet one more affront to a group of people who, truth to tell, have gained a great deal of acceptance in a short period of time, adds nothing to the dialogue.

I agree, when we elect a non christian, a female, a single or gay person as prez, I will rejoice. We still have a long way to go.(But I am glad to see barriers broken however small)

Wufar83 has an interesting and skewed perspective. Not all marriages produce children. Therefore, if this is the function and purpose of marriage, when it is learned that a couple cannot be conceived their marriage should be dissolved. As most women will reach menopause and no longer be able to produce children, keeping marriage PURE would mean that those marriages should be dissolved as they no longer fulfill the role of procreation.

Now, we have those heterosexuals who try and skirt the obligations of marriage by remaining childless. No doubt, they are just in for the financial benefits that they can claim as a family. Their interest in marriage then must be purely economic and as such those marriages should be dissolved as well.

And of course, we then should force anyone who does have children to marry. That is after all the function.

The field is not entirely equal for gay men and lesbian women. The world stills seems to be able to tolerate a masculine lesbian rather than a feminine gay. The issue for me is not orientation, but the same gender stereotypes of what a man and woman *should* be rather than the full spectrum of what men and women ARE.

What is homophobia? Well, "phobia" means "fear". The majority of the world's people are not sick with a strange fear, they simply have morals and understand the basics of biology: marriage is the human form of courtship, and without heterosexual reproduction marriage would never have sprung into existence. "Homophobia" is a pejorative propaganda term, and a dishonest one at that.

All adults have the same criteria that must be met before a court will recognize a marriage. These criteria apply equally to all. So the matter is not of unequal rights, because as any student of logic can tell you "Same means equal". In reality the question is fundamentally one of the purpose and role of marriage and when we look at it from a scientific perspective we see that it is for bearing and raising offspring of our species.