N. H. Cole Simons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have attended a number of public meetings on this topic. I have also attended a number of private meetings on this topic. And one pamphlet came out and it was issued by “Preserve Marriage Bermuda,” Mr. Speaker, and a statement in that pamphlet caused me t o believe that the referendum was the …

Basically it says, same -sex civil unions will redefine marriage. It says the redefin ition of marriage results in a reordering of society, r estructuring the family unit, and a radical cultural change. Everybody knows, Mr. Speaker, the family is the cornerstone for our society. You get the family right, you get society right. And in that light because it …

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This topic, Mr. Speaker, is probably one of the most difficult topics that I have encountered since I have been in the House of Assembly. And I have been in since 1998, almost 20 years. And I want to say that I had some predefined ideas when we started this campaign, this campaign to basically revisit …

And, as my colleague said, they have had children together. So they have a full family, but there is no legal protection. Now, Mr. Speaker, I can be very pragmatic on this issue because there are other lawyers who say, Well, listen, heterosexual couples or common- law r elationships have protections. Or the people in same-sex relationships have protections. If …