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"We
are not out to destroy religion, we just want the same rights."
Wayne
Toole, The Daily Gleaner, March 31, 2021 
Thanks
to Jason Curl for reporting on the meeting with Andy Scott. Jason (right) is shown
here with his spouse Larry Dickinson.
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Advocacy
- News March
31, 2003 Marriage
forum in Fredericton, N.B.
Andy Scott hears from his local
community Member of Parliament
Andy Scott, chair of the infamous Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights,
hosted a public forum in his home riding of Fredericton, New Brunswick, to discuss
same-sex marriage. The meeting took place on March 30th, from 1 until 4 p.m. at
the Wu Centre, located on the campus of the University of New Brunswick. Equal
marriage advocate Jason Curl shared his thoughts on the day with us.
The
forum opened with comments from Andy Scott regarding the procedure to be followed
during the afternoon, followed by some words from John McEvoy, a Law professor
at the University of New Brunswick, who chaired the session. There was a much
larger turn-out than expected, with the main room filled to capacity and more
in a another room. The
theatrics began early when a woman who is against having marriage redefined interrupted
Mr. McEvoy to express her dissatisfaction with the structure of the forum. Instead
of breaking into discussion groups, she said she would rather see everyone remain
in the same room and have the discussion there -- a strategy that obviously would
suit those in opposition to redefining marriage who find their strength in numbers.
Andy Scott denied the request, stating that many people do not feel comfortable
speaking before a large crowd but would feel more comfortable doing so in smaller
groups. This also has been the format used for the past seven or eight years and
Mr. Scott said it had worked successfully. During
Mr. McEvoy's speech, an infant near the front of the room began crying and the
parents, not wanting to cause further disruption to the session, began to leave.
On their way to the door, the baby fell from its infant car seat to the floor,
causing much concern from everyone. Luckily, the infant appeared not to be harmed,
but one man shamelessly took advantage of the incident to declare, "That is a
man, woman and baby." The
people then broke into discussion groups in several rooms and later reported their
feelings back to the plenary session. A point many made was that people were very
respectful to each other in these discussion groups, though one person did refer
to gays as "homos". One of the biggest concerns stated by those opposing the redefinition
of marriage was that the recognition of same-sex marriages would result in churches
being forced to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples, regardless of whether
or not they wanted to. They also feared that granting same-sex couples the same
rights as them would somehow infringe upon their freedom -- exactly how this would
happen was never really clarified. Those in favour of same-sex marriage stated
that this is a human rights issue. We are not asking for special rights, as some
stated, but rather EQUAL rights -- the rights enjoyed by opposite-sex couples.
Mr.
McEvoy addressed the concern that churches would be forced to perform ceremonies
for same-sex couples. He stated that clergy could not be forced to perform ceremonies
contrary to their religious beliefs. He said that allowing same-sex couples to
marry does not alter the scope of freedom of religion. Many
in opposition to redefining marriage stated that they were not opposed to gays
having equal rights individually, and even some rights as couples, but they did
not want same-sex couples to use the term marriage - some suggested a civil union
or other such distinction. One response to these statements was that, by allowing
same-sex couples to use the term "marriage", it would take away from the opponents'
feelings of superiority. While there were the usual scripture readings and condemnation
of gays (even a petition to not redefine marriage), there were also some people
asking genuine questions -- about children, next-of-kin, etc. - which indicates
a real need for education. Many don't know what to think on the issue because
they know very little about gay people. Those
in favour of redefining marriage did get their point across very well. One woman
said it best: Rather than looking at what you might lose, look at what you might
gain. The
Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights will take their show on the
road next month, to hear from organizations and individuals. The New Brunswick
hearing will be held in Sussex on Tuesday, April 8th.
By Jason Curl
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