MP Chris Carter says he and his partner of 31 years hope to be among the first to register a civil union once the legislation is passed. At the same time the Catholic Church is speaking out against the legislation, insisting it is gay marriage in disguise and that gay relationships should not be recognised. "Marriage is a very specific kind of commitment to a specific kind of sexual sharing, it's not just any commitment between two people (they) might wish to make," Bishop Peter Cullinane told National Radio yesterday. While Carter did not wish to comment on the Catholic Church's view, he pointed out that around 15 countries already have civil unions available, so therefore New Zealand is not at the forefront of a social engineering agenda. "My partner and I have been together in a stable relationship for 31 years. How could you say that is less valid than a marriage that might last six weeks, which happens," he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 17th April 2004 - 12:00pm