I see gay marriage as a socioeconomical issue. I don't think the state should give the same benefits it may give to normal couples like tax exempts. Same sex marriages don't make economic sense since they produce no children or very few and at very high cost (lab-assisted pregnancy is expensive and unhealthy).
It is very much an socioeconomical issue.
Up to 13-20 per cent of the population are non-heterosexual (be it actively homosexual or exhibiting homosexual tendencies), so it
is very much a socioeconomical issue. Surveys and other investigations of the prevalence of homosexuality have shown quite varying results, everything from as little as two in a hundred individuals --or every 50th -- being homosexual to as many as every fifth. My feeling is that both extremes are inaccurate, but I do certainly also believe that a substantial part of the population actually exhibits some sort of homosexual tendency or outrightly practices homosexuality. I do not believe in a concept of complete homosexuality or complete heterosexuality, as there are rich examples of otherwise practicing heterosexuals engaging in acts of homosexuality and vice versa. Studies have shown that there might be a correlation between homosexuality and biological factors, as well as other studies have shown that the brain structure seen among homosexual males differed from the one seen among heterosexuals. I believe that individuals can have a tendency to exhibit homosexual behavior, the dominance of such tendency differing among individuals, with urges to participate in homosexual activities being occasional or practically nonexistent amongst some, while the urge is much stronger and even constant among others. Having both homosexual and heterosexual liaisons is a choice, and on that level a religious view on such things can spur behavior that is morally acceptable in that religion, but the attraction to other individuals, be it of the same or the opposite sex, cannot necessarily be seen as a choice.
So my basic premise is that homosexuality -- in one form or the other -- is prevalent, and that it is simply, as mentioned earlier, a fact of nature. Both liberals, conservatives and libertarians hail the liberal democracy. One of the premises for a liberal democracy is an equality of rights and liberties, unregarding gender, ethnicity and sexuality. Even though I am not in any way interested in homosexual relationships and I actually see a development in the direction of acceptance and normalisation of such relationships as harmful for traditional family values, which I see as beneficial -- the family values and not the development, mind you -- I find it difficult from a pro-democratic point of view to attempt forcing own values, ideology and religion upon others, as well as I cannot morally defend impeding or limiting the liberties of individuals -- those who do not seek to limit the liberties of others -- on an arbitrary basis. Furthermore, I see state discrimination with the purpose of promoting a certain religious or moral doctrine not as a conservative position, but as a fascist position. The conservative distrusts the state, and therefore I find it difficult making the encouragement of
my values a state task, especially if it involves democratically problematic legislature and programmes.
This, of course, also extends to for instance taxation of homosexual couples in registered "marriages", "partnerships", "civil unions" -- call it what you like -- and the legal aspects of inheritance between partners in a homosexual relationship, etc. Talking about homosexual reproduction, I see it as difficult bringing on the argument of the fact that homosexuals generally do not reproduce as much as heterosexuals as an argument for the discrimination of homosexuals. To make tax exempts pro-family (or pro-reproduction, if you like), they may be altered to grow with the amount of children a family has, or something similar. Talking about artificial reproduction, it is actually not necessary for reproduction among homosexuals, as is evident by the tradition of formal, legal relationships and "natural" insemination among homosexuals of opposite genders. You cannot do anything about that on legal ground, sSo if one regards homosexual parenthood a problem, then the solution is most likely somewhat fascist.