There was a celebratory vibe in New Zealand parliament yesterday, with cheers erupting from the gallery as the Definition Of Marriage Bill was voted 77 to 44 in favour of, legalising marriage for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and intersex couples.
New Zealand is the 13th country to legalise gay marriage, claiming a significant unerasable non-All Blacks-related victory that will piss Australians off for eternity in the grand tradition of Trans-Tasman one-upmanship. Labor MP Louisa Wall, opened the floor iterating the simple, fair legal changes resulting from the passing bill which redefines marriage as a union between two people, rather than a man and woman. She received a standing ovation from her fellow parliamentary members and you can watch her speech below.
National-Pakuranga party member and noted conservative, Maurice Williamson (whose funny, warm, logical speech you can also watch below), put it best: “All we are doing with this bill is allowing two people who love each other have that love recognised by way of marriage. That is all we are doing.”
“We are not declaring nuclear war on a foreign state. We are not bringing in a virus that could wipe out our agricultural sector forever. We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognised and I can’t see what’s wrong with that.”
Good point, Maurice.
