Gurpal Singh is a well-known lawyer in Melbourne and is an active member of the Punjabi community. He supports the ‘no’ campaign for legalization of same sex marriage. Although many people are of the opinion that marriage or love is a personal matter of an individual or two individuals and that no one else should have any say in it, yet, Gurpal Singh opposes this notion on the basis that marriage between a same sex couple is unnatural and defeats the purpose of traditional reasons of legalization of marriage.
“Marriage is a legalization of a sexual relationship between two persons which is male and female predominantly for the reason of progeny and there is no progeny in a gay or lesbian relationship.”
Gurpal Singh is also of the opinion that the long term implications on children in a same sex marriage household will be serious in the future.
“We are unable to see the implications right now”, he said, adding “When these children grow up, how they will reconcile to the situation is beyond comprehension.”
He says the institution of marriage is sacred and is important for the preservation of the human race. He is also against the surrogacy or adoption of children by same sex couples. He believes it’s a totally distorted idea and unnatural.
“I believe it is important for a child to have both mother and father. I believe the children of same sex couples are unfortunate who do not receive love from both parents; mother, who gives birth and father, who they are a part of.”
There are countries where same sex marriage is legal and in Australia too, same sex couples are allowed to have children, but according to Gurpal, it is all a very recent development and no one can foresee the implications of such an idea twenty years down the line.
Gurpal Singh does, however, agree that just like some heterosexual couples live in a defacto relationship and are given the more or less the same rights as married couples, same sex couples should also be given the same rights now that society is more accepting towards them. He still, however, believes that legal marriage should be between couples from opposite sex.
“So far as marriage is concerned, that is totally a sacramental bond.”
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