Homosexuals have already been granted the legal protection of the civil partnership, which recognises their demand for mutual security.

Marriage is something different.

A homosexual partnership cannot by legislation be changed into marriage, which is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman for the procreation and upbringing of children.

It does not require much thought to see the strangeness that would result from an attempt to regard a homosexual partnership as marriage.

Those it would affect most would be any children who might be involved.

These children could be conceived only by artificial means.

They would be deprived of either a mother or a father. Can anyone say that a child does not need both? And what would be the confusion in the mind of the child as it grew up?

Robina Knewstrub, Blackburn.