A CONTROVERSIAL bill was recently passed in South Africa which allows single sex marriages.

Not just a civil partnership, like here in Britain, but an actual marriage.

For South Africa this is a brilliant example of their new determination to be more liberal and less discriminative.

Yet it left me wondering why it is that here in Britain, and many other European countries, gay marriages are still not allowed.

Why does the idea of single sex marriages cause such a debate?

After all, most people would agree that there is nothing more lovely than two people who love each other.

Why does it matter if it's a heterosexual or a homosexual couple?

The answer is that it shouldn't. People should stop holding onto the ideas of the past.

Just because homosexuality was frowned upon by our ancestors doesn't mean we should hold onto their old fashioned morals.

Otherwise we would live in a world where women were still considered inferior, birth would determine social standing and the majority of the population would be uneducated and ignorant.

Clearly, some of the beliefs our predecessors held were wrong, perhaps born out of ignorance and a lack of education.

Yet some people will still claim that homosexual couples are immoral and unnatural.

How can love be unnatural? How can love be immoral?

There is no real excuse for not allowing homosexual marriages in the UK.

If we are living in a truly modern country we would let go of outdated ideals and accept that all people are equal regardless of their preferences.