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The Oakville Beaver, F rida y A u g u s t 22, 2003 - 9 MPP circulating petition to `confirm sanctity of marriage' (C o n tin u e d from p a g e 7) O A K V IL L E T R A N S IT Over dinner that night, Logan asked Powell to marry him and they quickly packed and returned to be married. "In the social realm, we have been feeling equal and welcomed into the community, now we feel a bit more of that equality," Logan said of life after marriage. "It was really affirming for (Wayne's parents) to be at the wedding, to have an official recognize our relation ship." It isn't just the acknowledgment of the relationship, though. Much of the debate is about that single word: marriage. Many straight couples, who don't have a problem with same-sex unions, still object to having the definition of mar riage widened. Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh is not directly related to the legislation of samesex marriage, which is on the federal level, but that isn't stopping him from making his stance known. He issued a press release last week stating his posi tion. He is circulating a petition and lob bying the federal government to confirm "the sanctity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman." Chudleigh is one of the many stuck on the M-word. `Traditionally, it's the union of a man and woman for the purpose of raising children," he said during a telephone interview. He added that expanding the definition would "cheapen" marriage. Though no longer married, if he was, Chudleigh said he would feel his mar riage would be less significant, knowing that homosexual couples were also allowed the distinction. To that, Powell responded, "He obvi ously doesn't understand what marriage is or he has a very low value of it." Halton Liberal MP Julian Reed, who has been married for 43 years, isn't sur prised that people feel the way Chudleigh does. "It's probably the fact that the word marriage has been the social cornerstone of civilization," he said in a phone call from North Bay, where he and the rest of the Liberal caucus were gathered for their summer meeting. "In many people's lives, it is a very profound sort of experience," said Reed. However, the marital experience is something that homosexuals should not be allowed, according to Reed. In 1999 Reed joined the majority of MPs in sup porting a motion in the House of Commons to maintain the cunent defini tion of marriage. In the four years since, Reed said, his views on the issue haven't changed. Those views are being echoed in the mail and phone calls he has received at ( S e e 'S a m e - s e x ' p a g e 10) L a b o u r D a y H o lid a y S e r v ic e N o t ic e M O N D A Y , SEPTEMBER 1, 2003 N O SERVICE Bus In fo r m a tio n 9 0 5 -8 1 5 -2 0 2 0 w w w . o a k v ille t r a n s it . c o m We'll Trade You up to $ 7 5 00 T o w a rdAN e w trade days ?2 2 5 00 T o w a rdAN e w Get Cash ForYbur Old Furniture During La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries* Trade-In Days.' For a lim ited time, your old sofa is w orth up to $225 toward the purchase of a new one, your old chair is worth up to $75. A sw ell, if your old furniture is in good useable condition, we've even made arrangements for it to be donated to women' s shelters in our area and for you to receive a charitable donation receipt Choose from hundreds of styles and colours, all w ith that famous L A -Z -B O Y " Comfort and Q uality. A s for customer service, no other sales staff is more knowledgeable and caring. So kiss old faithful goodbye and visit us today.' 1 0 0 's o f M o d e l s I n S t o c k f o r I m m e d i a t e D e l iv e r y ! workopolis. H a lt o n S e a r c h .c \ ^ in