Manchester: Gay Marriage Debate

5 February 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A gay man from Greater Manchester who's been with his partner for 20 years has told Capital allowing same sex marriage is about giving gay people the same rights as everyone else.

Andrew Gilliver, who works for the Lesbian and Gay Foundation, doesn't understand why anyone would be against the idea:

"Why would you not want two people who can get married to get married whoever they are?

"Why shouldn't they be able to show their love and commitment and have the same rights and protections - and call it the same thing?"

Capital's also been hearing the other side of the argument, given by Father John Flynn from the Catholic Church.

Father John, who's based in the Salford Diocese, said you can't just go and change what marriage is:

"There's no room in the defintion of marriage for two gay people to be able to say they are married because marriage by definition is between a man and a woman.

"They (men and women) both have different functions. To say therefore that two gays can get married flies in the face of both logic and good reasoning and good sense."

To listen to the opposing arguments in more detail, click on the links below:

Andrew Gilliver tells Capital's Matt Mears why having same sex marriage made legal is such a big deal

Father John Flynn outlines his objections to the idea.