Ah Bigotry, I know you well...

I find it frustrating when people hide behind religion or law to support their bigotry.

"Oh it's ok to have slaves, it's legal!"
"We didn't know it was wrong to disallow a black person and a white person to marry, it was illegal."
"The Bible says that a man lying with another man is an abomination so it IS an abomination."

What do these statements have in common? They're all supporting the persecution of a group of humans. Where is the rational basis for putting one group of humans over another? Where is the great body of evidence to support the claim that there are large differences between one group of humans and another?

There isn't any. And that's just it.

Law is not infallible. It's created by humans.
Religion is not infallible. It's created by humans.

Law changes. Religion changes.

But, it doesn't matter. Humans have brains. Humans are capable of rational thought and critical thinking. We don't have to rely on something out there to tell us what to think and believe; we can figure these things out for ourselves.

Nonetheless, two humans will look at all the information on an issue and result in two different interpretations/beliefs. Which one is right?

First question is, "is it criminal?" Well, let's take two people of the same sex that are in a relationship with each other. Is this criminal behaviour? There may be laws that say it is. There may be religious doctrines that say it is. But is it actually a crime? Does the relationship between two people of the same sex actually put anyone at risk? If your neighbours are a happily married gay couple, will one of your children drop dead? Will the limbs of your family members fall off? Will one of your family members contract a life-threatening illness? Will you or any member of your family have to live in fear and terror? The answer to all of these questions is "no". Rationally, there's nothing actually risky about a same-sex relationship. And as long as that relationship is between two consenting adults, then there is no issue of power imbalance, coercion or any other type of criminal activity.

Leaving existing law and religious doctrine aside: there's no RATIONAL difference in risk between two people of the opposite sex entering into a relationship than two people of the same sex entering into a relationship. And since law needs to be free of religious influence in a free, democratic country - with so many people of differing religions or no religion whatsoever, which one do we pick? We can't, so we leave it out - then law needs to have a rational basis.

Since there isn't a rational basis to persecute consenting same-sex adults, then it's law that needs to change. And it needs to change NOW.

The bottom line is, we all benefit when every living, breathing person is free.