A few weeks ago I was in the pub with my husband and the crowd he goes to the football match with most weekends. All fine, and everyone was chatting away over pints and glasses of wine. We were all sitting around one table, and I noticed most of the group were laughing and sniggering towards a corner of the pub. I leaned in and asked “What’s going on?!” wanting to be in on the joke.. “Look!” they all said “Look it’s disgusting!”

I looked over and there were two girls kissing. I said: “Are you joking? You can’t be serious.”

“It’s disgusting! How can they just sit there and do that in front of everyone?!”

“So what? Why do you have a problem with it?”

“It’s two girls! Kissing! It’s not normal.”

It carried on, with me arguing with them as a group that.. come on.. it’s 2013.. and who are they to say a couple in love can’t kiss.. who are they to say that because they’re a same-sex couple they should do it in private.. and no I’m not a big fan of public displays of affection myself.. but that’s not why they were pointing (yes pointing) and sniggering at the young couple in the corner..

I asked: “Would you call yourselves homophobic then?”

“Oh no I’m not homophobic.” The woman said.. “I have one of them working in our office. She has a girlfriend. I’m really tolerant.”

“There’s nothing to be tolerant of! Just because she’s a lesbian means you have to tolerate her.. what?! I can’t believe you just said ‘one of them’. In a twenty years people will laugh at how ignorant you all sound calling same-sex couples ‘not normal’.”

“Yeah well that’s in twenty years, not now.”

Which I think sums it up really.

I didn’t want to have to post anything like this.. but I feel quite strongly about putting it out there given it’s topical with the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill being voted upon by MPs today. I can’t really believe that there are people still out there who have these sorts of issues, and in particular people who vent these views in public at expense of others, and people whose views may stop some people having the same rights as everyone else.

Let people get on with loving whoever they like and be happy for them that they have found each other. Currently in the UK you can marry your cousin but not your partner in church. Every marriage ceremony I attend as a photographer praises the choice of the couple to marry, “it strengthens community and enriches society”. Why should this not stand true for gay marriage? Let same-sex couples marry in church. This isn’t an argument against anything except equality.