Like it or not, issue stands

THERE was plenty of discussion about whether to publish today’s front page picture of a mock same-sex wedding outside Federal Member for Bendigo Steve Gibbons’ Bendigo office yesterday.There will be those in our community today outraged by the image and the thought of gay marriage.Others will praise the group for having the courage to publicly stand up for something they truly believe in.Some will not care either way.But in the end it’s not a newspaper’s role to sanitise events in our community; it’s important to remain true to the story as it happened and let readers decide if they agree or disagree.This mock wedding was a publicity stunt but those in attendance were adamant they wanted the event covered properly.For them the reality is the page one picture and the others on page five are the very heart of this issue.New generations feel strongly that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry and they want people to hear their argument.No doubt there are members of older generations who support this cause but perhaps these generations having lived through some tough years are a little more reserved in how they protest.Those in our community who oppose gay marriage have every right to express their views and remain true to their beliefs.But surely society has evolved to a point where we also have to accept that people are going to have different views, beliefs and traditions that are every bit as important to them.It’s clear there will never be agreement on this issue, but in the end freedom of choice should prevail with acceptance from both sides of the argument.Credit should also be given to Steve Gibbons who gave the group a good portion of his time as he explained his stance on the same-sex marriage issue.