By Fred Jackson, Steve Rae, and Jody Brown
June 11, 2003

(AgapePress) - It's being called the first legal homosexual marriage in North America. It took place in Toronto, Canada, yesterday after a provincial court ruled the legal definition of marriage must be changed to include homosexual couples. But pro-family forces, including at least one provincial premier, are vowing to keep up the fight for godly standards.

A court in the province of Ontario has ordered that effective immediately, the current legal definition of marriage between "one man and one woman" must be set aside and replaced by the term "two persons." In its ruling, the court said restricting marriage to a man and a woman is a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Canadian Constitution.

"Exclusion perpetuates the view that same-sex relationships are less worthy of recognition than opposite sex relationships," the judgment stated. "In doing so, it offends the dignity of persons in same-sex relationships."

The court order directed the city clerk in Canada's largest city, Toronto, to immediately issue marriage licenses to several homosexual "couples" who have applied for them. According to Canada's National Post, many "raced" to city hall for marriage licenses yesterday as the city of Ottawa reacted to the ruling.

'Not In My Province'
It is not clear whether the federal government will ask for an appeal of the Ontario ruling while Parliament decides what approach it is going to take on the issue. But Alberta Premier Ralph Klein says there is absolutely no way this is going to be the law in his province.

"If there is any move to sanctify and legalize same-sex marriages, we will use the notwithstanding clause," Klein says. "Period -- end of story." That constitutional clause allows politicians to override unpopular court decisions, but it has never been employed against a federal court ruling.

From the perspective of organizations like Focus on the Family, the ruling could spell disaster for the social structures of families and be very detrimental to children. A ministry spokesman states that marriage is a "unique relationship," and that evidence from the social sciences shows it provides a unique benefit -- "not only to husband and wife and obviously their children, but also to society as a whole."

Evangelical church groups are also displeased with the ruling. Pastor Marcel Racine heads up a gospel crusade fellowship in the Ottawa region.

"God did not create us so that we would marry people of the same sex," Racine says. "The Lord created us to be married so that a man and a woman would be able to have children. God is against things which are contrary to this."

Sandy Rios

Early American Reaction
Pro-family leaders in the U.S. say that as a result of the Canadian court's ruling, the beliefs of those who hold to traditional marriage -- be they Jew, Christian, or Muslim -- are under "direct attack." Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women for America, says the ruling "puts a true understanding of marriage on the wrong side of the law."

"Businesses will be ordered to accommodate the counterfeit as if it were the real thing, regardless of the beliefs of business owners," Rios says. "And more children will face being placed in homosexual households if this ruling stands."

Bob Knight

Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute is calling on Canadians to "clean their judicial house" to overturn what he describes as an "oppressive dictate."

"They can call it whatever they want, but it's not marriage," Knight says in a written statement. "A wedding requires a man and a woman. To mandate marital recognition for non-marital relationships is to create a lie that will ensure coercion against people who stand for the truth."

Like Pastor Racine, Knight believes marriage is an institution defined by God. "God created marriage as the union of one man and one woman -- and no court can alter that," Knight says.

Another U.S.-based pro-family group, the American Family Association, is taking a proactive approach to protecting traditional marriage in America. That group has launched an online petition -- NoGayMarriage.com -- supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would protect traditional marriage between one man and one woman.