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Feminist lesbian activist in UK condemns marriage

4 comments

Samantha Reeve
WVoN co-editor 

British journalist Julie Bindel said on Sky News recently that campaigns for marriage equality were a ‘waste of time and effort’.

Instead she said it should be abolished and replaced by civil parternships for everyone.

The founder of Justice for Women made the remarks in response to comments made by Stonewall founder Sir Ian McKellen.

Bindel, a writer and activist, has also said in the past that lesbianism is a choice and has opposed transgender surgery.

She claimed that marriage was an outdated institution ‘and if you like living in institutions it’s great’

She went on to say that gay rights acitivists had bigger fish to fry, such as homphobic bullying in schools and in the workplace.

She said that equality can only be achieved through abolishing marriage and giving everyone the right to civil partnershisps, which hetrosexual couples currently do not enjoy.

The debate around marriage, was she said, an expensive and priviledged debate.

Certainly contentious issues, but does she have a point?

  1. MezzoPiana says:

    Hear hear Julie.

  2. Sangiec says:

    I’d say that the slant of your article was contentious… it reads like something you’d see in the Sun… not good. Julie Bindel is known and admired for so much more than the two issues you chose to highlight above…

  3. I don’t know; I agree she’s admired (and vilified) for many things, but I think if I was asked to pick two things she was known for, those would probably be the things I’d come up with.

  4. Petra W says:

    I have never heard of Julie Bindel before, so not sure what she stands for. However, I like the idea about civil partnerships which certainly should be available for everyone.
    Conventional marriage vows are outdated and do not relate to the values a modern partnership should have (in my opinion) and one should have the right to choose. I have been married for nearly 25 years and to me it is just a piece of paper which has no relation to the commitment I made to my partner.

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