I agree. No privileges are granted by recognizing gay marriage. The government would be doing nothing except recognizing the agreement made by two parties. Nothing is enforced against third-parties. Not to do recognize marriage of some individuals is a violation of their rights. So, it is definitely a question of freedom.
I need to think about this in greater detail, how marriage contracts operate and are enforced as I am possibly operating on flawed premises.
however, what of polygamists?
taxation policies that favour married couples.
Tax breaks for married people are causing force to be used against you?
Tax breaks for married people are causing force to be used against you?
I was not thinking of tax breaks specifically, as this does not affect my freedom (essentially in the same way that not allowing gay marriage does not affect their freedom). This is what the Conservatives want to bring back in the UK. rather, I was thinking of the state using taxpayers money to provide welfare handouts to married couples in the way that we do (in the UK) to people with children (anyone with children receives around $30 per week from the government for the first child, plus $24 per additional child). There used to be a marriage allowance, which I thought operated on the same basis, but operated as a tax-break. using the money extorted from me in taxation to give directly to married couples is using force against me - though I suppose you could argue that it is indirect, that the theft was a direct use of force and that is what we should concentrate on preventing.
I was not thinking of tax breaks specifically, as this does not affect my freedom (essentially in the same way that not allowing gay marriage does not affect their freedom).
Tax breaks for others aren’t affecting your freedom in essentially the same way not being allowed to marry the person you love wouldn’t affect it? What’s wrong with you?
I agree. No privileges are granted by recognizing gay marriage. The government would be doing nothing except recognizing the agreement made by two parties. Nothing is enforced against third-parties…
The term marriage is used in a number of different legal contexts and could, in practice, enforce limitations on 3rd parties in some instances.
Take an adoption agency…
Should an adoption agent “discriminate” between two perfectly nice and loving potential adopting “married” couples when one pair is made up of the opposite sex and one is of the same sex?
If the agent’s rationale is that it is ideal for a child to grow up in a household and benefit from having both male and female parental relationships, then by the legal grouping of both relationships as “marriage”, the gay couple could sue for discrimination… Could they not?