Historically, marriage has not been, as one peer described it, an “elongated envelope,” into which any expression of love and commitment can be packed. It is not so regarded in contemporary Britain; and even less so in the non-Western world, where unions of men and women are considered the norm.
从词义学角度讲，同性婚姻反对者毫无疑问是正确的。从历史上看，婚姻并不是如观礼者所言那样是一个“细长的信封”，里面装着爱和承诺的表达。在当代英国，并非如此；对男女结伴才是正统的非西方世界而言，更非如此。